Aftershock
by Jenny wrens
Summary: Mycroft lost control and nearly strangled Lucas on Node 3 in "Photon Bullet". My story looks at some details of how the near strangulation affected Lucas. How did he cope going back to SeaQuest? How did Captain Bridger react? Mycroft and Lucas haven't seen the last of each other. Father/son relationship Rated T for some mild language and descriptive detail.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Aftershock - based on Photon bullet episode. Season One.**

 _ **Node Three Communications Installation**_

 _ **Melanesian Basin - depth 7000 feet**_

 _ **Node Three Command centre**_

Martin Clemens strode back and forth in front of the large screen and laughed triumphantly. Things at last were falling into place. He might finally feel some peace in his mind and heart. Perhaps he could even make amends for his past mistakes. He was so pleased that he had managed to trick the UEO into sending him Lucas Wolenczak. The kid was brilliant and within days the teen had managed to hack into the Word Bank, something Clemens had been attempting to do for years with no success. The teen had certainly seemed anxious to get away from his comrades on seaQuest. It hadn't been hard to convince the lad to come stay and play. Node three was filled with intelligent kids but none of them even came close to Lucas brilliance.

"The World Bank Transaction Network fully trapped . . . mine," he replied victoriously. The words had barely rolled off his lips when suddenly the screens on the wall went black. "What the..?" Clemens whirled around staring at the three teens behind him.  
"I shut down the Node," stated Lucas flatly staring at Clemens brazenly.  
"Put us back online NOW!" hissed Clemens vehemently.  
"No, no, it's wrong," insisted Lucas suddenly feeling frightened of the man standing in front of him. Clemens dropped all pretense of kindness and glared at Lucas viciously. Lucas felt his mouth go dry.  
"We're on the doorstep of global synchronicity," said Clemens, pointing at Lucas angrily. "You can't stop me. I will not fail. I've been here before." He irritably pushed the frightened teen out of way and sat down, pounding at computer keyboard without success.  
"Yeah, you killed a man," said Lucas point-blank not fully comprehending how the words cut into Clemens.  
"I made a mistake," hissed Clemens at Lucas with venom dripping in his voice.

"And you're making us do it all over again. You're affecting millions of lives, real people's lives. This isn't some game on the Internex where you see every consequence in neat 3-D graphics," blurted Lucas adamantly.

"Don't you get it, kid? I'm destroying war, corruption; I'm ripping the heart out of greed;" insisted Clemens eager to get the teenager to understand. He looked at Nick and Juliana, the other two teenagers in the room, almost pleading with them to take his side. Both teens looked away fearfully. Clemens wasn't acting rationally, and neither one of them could believe what they were hearing and seeing.  
"You can't do that by changing numbers. These things won't go away until we know each other, one by one, face to face. You said it yourself Clemens, it hurts in here," said Lucas placing his hand on his heart "This is where you have to make it better."  
"You're a child; you've never felt pain. I took a life;" chided Clemens in disgust. Lucas winced at the comment and shut his eyes momentarily trying to clear his head though the fear was raging within him. He felt his heart beating wildly as the moment escalated. The man had no idea the pain Lucas felt in his life. He had no idea the abandonment he felt and the hurt that gnawed away at his heart daily.  
" And I'm not gonna let you take any more," insisted Lucas boldly, quickly sitting in front of another terminal in the room and continuing to shut down the computer system. Clemens watched as all the screens went blank again and eventually turned black. Clemens screamed out in anger. Fury pulsed through him, and he jumped to his feet, grabbing Lucas by his shirt and shoving him against the wall. He wrapped his hands around the teen's neck attempting to squeeze the life out of him in a fit of vengeance.

Lucas gasped when Clemens shoved him against the wall. His clear blue eyes stared at the huge black man in horror. The guy had completely lost his grip on reality. He felt the man's muscular hands wrap around his neck in rage. Lucas attempted to peel the man's hands off his neck, clawing at his throat desperately trying to get free himself. Nick and Juliana, the other two teens in the room, trembled in fear and seemed to be frozen watching in disbelief. Clemens continued tightening his grip on his neck, and Lucas was beginning to see spots as he felt himself getting light headed. Lucas' heart was beating rapidly in terror. The realization hit him that the man was going to kill him. He could feel Clemens nails digging into his flesh as the man strangled him. Lucas' thoughts went to Captain Bridger and the argument they had had before he left Seaquest. The captain. He couldn't leave things like there were. The captain had been trying to teach Lucas about taking responsibility. Lucas had wanted recognition and appreciation. He had wanted to be recognized and acknowledged. Instead he just felt like he was constantly in the way on Seaquest. His thoughts still on the captain, Lucas desperately tried in vain to claw the man's fingers off his throat. He felt himself losing consciousness as things started to go black.

Suddenly, Nick seemed to gather courage enough to pull up a video on the computer. The room was abruptly filled with gunshots and men screaming at one another. Lucas' blurry vision couldn't make sense of the scene. Clemens looked in horror at Lucas, almost like he was being awakened from nightmare. Clemens turned to look at the screen in astonishment abruptly releasing his grip on Lucas' throat. Lucas collapsed onto the floor trembling and fighting for breath. He felt his heart in his throat, and his pulse was racing. He fought to gain control of himself not knowing what Clemens would do next. Massaging his neck, Lucas slowly pushed himself to his feet using the wall for leverage. Bruises were starting to form where Clemens fingers had been. Lucas still fought for air, and he wondered if his windpipe was damaged from the pressure that had been inflicted. Clemens seemed frozen in time lost in his own horror as he watched the scene play out on the screen repeatedly. Lucas felt confused as he wasn't sure what the video was about, but it was apparent the murder depicted was personal to Clemens. It quickly dawned on him that Clemens had hacked the computer giving the order to kill the Chinese soldier.

"It only hurts because you can see his face. You knew who he was," stated Lucas, his voice raspy and hoarse. The hacked computer had recorded the event and for some reason Clemens had kept a copy of it. The scene repeating itself repulsed Lucas, and he looked away.  
"No, no I learned that lesson," whispered the man weakly obviously haunted by the video and his past.  
"You learned the hard way. But I don't have to, and we don't want to. I don't wanna hurt anyone," croaked Lucas still gasping for every breath glancing at Nick and Juliana. Both of his friends looked as frightened as he felt. His throat burned with each word, and he felt weak in the knees and continued to lean against the wall for support. Clemens shook his head mumbling about wanting to make the world a better place. Lucas took as deep a breath as he was dared to escape the sharp pain in his throat and shook his head feeling light headed.  
"No, no," he choked. "You're not willing to accept the responsibility. You've been hiding behind machines, behind photons. It's a magic trick, it's not human." Lucas kept thinking of Captain Bridger's words from their conversation over vid-link the night before. The captain had told him that the actions of people were the only legacy that was left to the future. The way others affect each other is all that is left behind, the Captain had told him wisely. It was the only message that people had to give. It mattered. It all mattered.  
"I just wanted to make it better, to help people," said the man weakly sitting in a chair while staring at the screen blankly. Nick cut the sound but allowed the video to keep playing, hoping the man wouldn't decide to retaliate again. He stared at Lucas in admiration. His friend's voice could barely be heard as he gasped for every breath before speaking again.  
"You can't help someone, until you know who they are," whispered Lucas feeling exhausted yet determined to convince the man. The large man dropped his head pitifully mumbling about knowing the man in the video. Shame and defeat radiated from him and despite his fright, Lucas felt sorry for him.  
"Let the network go," whispered Lucas pleadingly. Clemens looked at the boy in defeat and nodded. He began typing into the computer slowly in acquiescence mumbling words no one could hear. He leaned back against his chair fatigue showing on is face.

"So, it's done. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry," replied Clemens glancing at the kids trembling behind him. Lucas nodded at him and collapsed to the floor. He drew his knees up to his chin trembling. More than anything, he wished Captain Bridger was there. He didn't know what to do next. Hopefully the worst was over, but he didn't know for sure. Juliana and Nick rushed over helping Lucas to his feet and half carrying him out the room. Juliana locked the door behind them, her hands noticeably trembling. The three teens stood breathing heavily in shock over the events. They had no idea how to proceed.

Several hours later, Lucas sat on his bunk at Node three rubbing his sore neck. They had left Clemens locked in the Command room not knowing how to handle the situation. Nick and Juliana suggested calling the Seaquest and asking for help, but Lucas had disagreed. He didn't want Captain Bridger and the rest of the crew to know about the events on Node three and his involvement. Despite the fact that Lucas had managed to stop Clemens plans, he worried that Captain Bridger would be furious with him for not reporting what he knew right away. How did everything get so out of control? Somehow he just wanted things to go back to normal. He wanted to return to Seaquest and resume his duties and go on with life. Lucas looked up when he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he croaked, his voice still hoarse.

Juliana and Nick entered the room in silence and sat down. Both of their faces were still white from the earlier events. They were both intelligent teens but still young when all was said and done. They didn't know what to do. Node Three was the central nervous system for all the major fiber optics highways across the Pacific. Everything from telephone calls to encrypted military information was routed through there and even the entire Internex. It needed a trained adult to operate it, not a group of kids. They had to contact someone and let them know what was going on. Juliana couldn't help but gasp when she saw Lucas' face. The whites of his eyes were blood red and appeared to have broken blood vessels. Under both of his eyes were red speckled blotches from being strangled.

"Lucas, we have to tell someone. Why not the UEO?" asked 16 year old Juliana tears shimmering in her eyes, still feeling frightened. Lucas shook his head.

"No, please, Juliana, there has to be another way."

"Lucas, you might be hurt more than you know. Your eyes… " she began insistently reaching out to touch his neck gently. Lucas jerked away from her touch.

"I'm fine, Juliana," he retorted. Looking hurt, the small framed brunette dropped her hand to her side and sighed.

Nick looked at both of his friends thoughtfully. There had to be some way to make amends and not get Lucas in trouble with the UEO or the captain.

"We could ask Mycroft," Nick suggested carefully.

"What, NO!" Juliana shouted in tears. There was no way she even wanted to see that crazy lunatic again. "He's insane! He almost killed Lucas."

"Wait, Juliana, hear me out," replied Nick quickly capturing her attention. Juliana's teary eyes were wide in fear, and Lucas reached out kindly and put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's ok, Juliana. I promise you, things are gonna be ok," reassured Lucas. Julianne blinked back tears and nodded. Both Lucas and Juliana listened as Nick explained his idea. Nick explained about letting Clemens go if he would willingly resign from Node Three and disappear. They would tell no one what happened if Clemens would just peacefully leave on his own accord. Clemens could contact the UEO himself and ask to leave. Then someone new would be assigned to Node three and take over. No one would be the wiser. No one had to know what Clemens almost did. And no one would know that Lucas broke into the World Bank. Everyone would remain oblivious.

Lucas ran his hands through his hair thoughtfully. He didn't like the idea of Clemens getting away with what he did. Who knew if he would try to concoct his scheme elsewhere? He felt his neck burning from the near strangulation. He had been really scared and doubted he would sleep for weeks after everything was all said and done. He couldn't seem to clear his head enough to have any rational thoughts. Nick's plan seemed plausible, and he was sure Clemens would agree. He'd be a fool not to.

"Yah ok, that might work. Who is gonna talk to Clemens?" asked Lucas closing his eyes wearily. He wasn't sure he had the guts to face Clements again. He was still frightened of the man and didn't trust Clemens wouldn't try to hurt him again. Nick looked at him and shrugged. Neither of them wanted to risk it.

"I think it's a stupid idea," whispered Juliana "But I don't have any other ones to offer, and I'm really scared. So umm...how about we write him a note telling him our demands and see if he will agree? We can slip it under the door. If he doesn't agree to cooperate, then Lucas, you have to call your captain ok?" pleaded Juliana with fresh tears escaping down her cheeks. Lucas hesitated and then nodded reluctantly. Nick nodded as well and the three of them started writing a note to Clemens.

Martin Clemens paced around the room anxiously. He didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't know what the kids were doing, and they had refused to speak with him since they locked the door. Clemens wished he could see Lucas. He was concerned he had injured the teenager in his rage. He silently reprimanded himself for his stupidity. He never intended to hurt anyone. He just wanted to help and now everything was ruined. A fluttering noise caught his attention by the door. He turned to see a note being shoved under the door.

"Read it, Clemens, and you better agree to our idea, or I'm calling Captain Bridger and telling him everything you did!" stated a hoarse voice heatedly. Clemens picked up the note and opened it. He quickly scanned it and shook his head.

"Ok, I agree. Lucas, are you ok?" asked Clemens with concern in his voice.

"We'll patch you through to the UEO. Ask for Admiral Noyce. Make it convincing, Clemens," responded the husky voice. Clemens heard footsteps as the boy walked away.

Lucas managed to convince O'Neill on seaQuest to get a video-link to the UEO. He devised a story about needing to leave a message for his parents hoping O'Neill would buy it, and thankfully he did. He prayed that the lieutenant wouldn't consider the request obscure enough to mention to anyone. But if he did, Lucas figured it wouldn't raise any concerns because Captain Bridger had asked him to inform his parents that he was staying on Node three.

The video-link was patched into the command room, and Lucas listened to Clemens request to speak to Admiral Noyce as planned. Lucas shook his head in astonishment as he listened to Clemens speak. The man was able to eloquently deceive the Admiral within a matter of minutes. Guilt ate away at Lucas as he listened to the dialogue. Clemens was unstable and dangerous. What was he thinking letting the guy go free? Lucas closed his eyes blinking back tears. He couldn't seem to clear his head enough to make sense of anything. His head hurt. His throat ached. His eyes burned. And he was scared. Really, really scared. Captain Bridger was going to be both infuriated with him. The thought made Lucas feel desperate. He knew if the captain discovered what happened, he would be sent away from SeaQuest permanently. SeaQuest was his home. He couldn't let that happen.

Moments later Clemens ended the link. He had convinced the Admiral to replace him with little effort. The Admiral was more than understanding that Clemens had reached his limit of "babysitting" on Node three and needed to resign. Noyce had insisted on giving Clemens a ride to Pearl Harbour on SeaQuest when it came to pick up Lucas. Clemens had reluctantly agreed trying to keep his poker face. He feared Lucas would rat him out, but he had run out of options.

"SeaQuest is picking me up when they get Lucas," stated Clemens through the door. He knew someone would be listening. And he could hear someone breathing outside the door. "Lucas?"

"Damn," muttered Nick thinking about how complicated things had become.

"NICK!" shouted Clemens pounding on the door. "Let me out, and I will fix this. I promise."

Nick sat outside the door breathing hard. His heart was racing. He hadn't felt this frightened in his life, and the situation seemed impossible. How would this work? One look at Lucas' and the crew of seaQuest would know something had happened. There was no way this was going to work without anyone finding out what really happened. Nick slowly walked down the hallway to Lucas' room.

Nick knocked on the door and entered without waiting to be invited in. He shut the door and leaned against it still feeling anxious. Nick looked at Lucas and shook his head.

"Damn Frankie, you look like crap," stated Nick shaking his head. Lucas grimaced as he attempted to clear his throat. He knew it was the truth. As time progressed, the bottom of his eyes bruised more. The whites of his eyes looked like something out a horror flick. The broken blood vessels made it appear like his eyes were bleeding.

"SeaQuest is coming to get Clemens when they get you," commented Nick sitting down feeling exhausted.

"Yah, I heard," sighed Lucas. "They'll be here tomorrow morning. Uh, I wonder if I will look any better…" Nick shook his head at Lucas.

"I doubt it, man."

"What am I going to do, Nick?" asked Lucas looking at his friend desperately.

"None of it was your fault, Lucas. None of us could have known what Mycroft had planned. I'm sure no one would blame you. Besides, you convinced him to stop. That ought to count for something." Lucas shook his head staring at his hands sadly. Nick didn't understand, and it was too complicated to explain.

"This isn't kid's stuff, Nick. The UEO is a military…"

"So _? You_ are a kid. Juliana and I are kids and so is every other person here but the five support staff. We were just doing what we were told," retorted Nick defending them. "Besides, you can't hide your face from your captain, Lucas. It's obvious something happened, and it doesn't look like a fist fight."

"I might be able to help," stated a soft voice from the doorway. Both boys looked up with a start to see Juliana enter the room carrying a floral pouch. "You're probably not gonna like it though." Lucas looked at her curiously as she took out what looked like a skin coloured crayon. It took him a few seconds before it registered what she was thinking, and he groaned audibly.

"Yah, I'm not gonna like it," he mumbled. "But I will try anything once."

Juliana smiled and went to work trying to conceal the bruises under Lucas' eyes. She gently applied concealer and compact powder to Lucas' pale face. His skin was much paler then hers, and the colour appeared almost orange under his eyes. She added some eye shadow to lighten the orange colour. It didn't look perfect, but it was an improvement. Perhaps in the lightening and being that the crew were mostly men and tended to be less observant, no would notice.

"Juliana, that's amazing," complimented Nick in awe. Nick handed Lucas the hand mirror from Juliana pouch. Lucas took it and gazed at his reflection quietly. It looked like he had dark circles under his eyes which was a drastic improvement on the bruised and blotched skin from earlier. He nodded approvingly.

"Thanks, Juliana," he replied with a weak smile. Looking tired would be believable considering he was known for late hours and little sleep on SeaQuest. Captain Bridger would scold him but little else. "What about my eyes?" Juliana shrugged and pulled out a pair of sunglasses from her pocket.

"My dad left them here a few weeks ago when he visited. It's all I can think of Lucas, I'm sorry," she replied miserably feeling stupid even suggesting the idea. Lucas reached for the glasses shrugging his shoulders and putting them on. He looked at himself in the hand mirror and smirked slightly. He shook his head and put down the mirror.

"I look ridiculous," he moaned morosely. Juliana and Nick laughed out loud, and Lucas started laughing as well. The three teenagers continued laughing for several minutes almost gasping for breath. The laughter felt good and helped to relieve some of the uncertainties and anxiety. Maybe their plan would work after all and then Mycroft would be gone, and Lucas could go back to seaQuest without worry. Each teen had their doubts but also hoped things would work.

The next morning after Juliana had finished applying the makeup, Lucas sat on the bed reflecting on the past week. How could things go so wrong? At first he didn't even want to come to Node three and then when he did go, it had been fun. Playing video games, eating junk and hanging out with kids his own age had been wonderful. He even had a few intimate moments with Juliana. He had some wonderful memories that he wouldn't soon forget. He hoped that she felt the same. She was so beautiful and sweet. It felt nice to just be 15 years old for once and let loose. It also felt freeing to not have anyone breathing down his neck and telling him what to do all the time. Life aboard seaQuest was rigid and structured all the time. Between Captain Bridger telling him what to do and Dr Westphalen attempting to mother him half to death, he never had a moment's peace. Node three had felt like a reprieve from that. Lucas sighed. Mycroft was supposed to be a trusted adult who was helping the Node, not attempting to corrupt it. He should have reported it to the captain as soon as he suspected something wasn't quite right. Why on earth hadn't he done that? Lucas lowered his head gently onto his knees and groaned. The bags under his eyes would definitely be believable considering he had hardly slept a wink the night before. Every time he relaxed enough to sleep nightmares plagued him. In his dreams he was being strangled over and over while Mycroft stared down at him laughing. Lucas didn't think he would ever be able to sleep peacefully again.

"C'mon, Lucas," said a voice softly from the doorway. "The seaQuest shuttle will be docking soon, and Nick is going to unlock the control room," said Juliana in a trembling voice. Lucas stood up and grasped her hand gently.

"Are you ok, Juliana?" Juliana blinked back tears and nodded.

"I'm still scared…"

"You could come with us…on SeaQuest, I mean. We could take you to your parents. You really should call them or something," replied Lucas concern written on his face. Juliana shook her head and wiped away a tear that escaped down her cheek.

"I'm the oldest kid here, and they need me. The danger is gone once Mycroft leaves. I'll be okay… I have to stay here until his replacement arrives."

"We'll be a long way off by then," stated Lucas sadly. Juliana nodded and looked away. "Keep in touch ok?" Juliana nodded again and turned to look at Lucas. She ran her fingers along his jaw line and smiled sweetly.

"You're a special kind of someone, Lucas. Don't ever change ok?" She leaned in and kissed his cheek softly. Lucas embraced her affectionately. She leaned into him and seemed to melt into his hug for strength. Lucas pulled away and kissed her tenderly on the lips. The two remained close staring at each other lingering in the moment. "We better go and see if Nick is okay." Lucas nodded and grabbed his backpack shutting the door behind him.

Lucas set his bag down in the docking bay waiting for the shuttle to finishing docking. He had chosen to wear his red turtleneck shirt and blue jean jacket with a high collar to help conceal the bruises on his neck. With Juliana's makeup job, his turtleneck and the sunglasses, Lucas had some hope of getting back to his own room at SeaQuest unnoticed. He planned to take up refuge there for as long as possible until his bruises healed. He planned to be as difficult and hostile as possible to keep everyone at arm's length. He needed some time to heal so that no one noticed his injuries. Familiar voices could be heard from behind the double doors as the shuttle unloaded. Voices also came up from behind him. Lucas turned to see Nick and Juliana approach him followed by Mycroft with his own luggage. Lucas sucked in a breath involuntarily when he saw Clemens enter the hallway. He felt his knees weaken as the man approached him. Lucas unconsciously took a few steps backwards and found his back against the wall. He removed his glasses momentarily and gave Clemens a good look at his eyes. The man audibly gasped when he saw the whites of Lucas' eyes.

"Oh god, Lucas," gasped Clemens shocked at the damage he saw. Lucas quickly replaced the glasses and looked away. Just as he did, the main doors opened on the docking bay and out strolled Chief Crocker, followed by Captain Bridger and Lt Commander Ford. Lucas felt his heart in his throat. It felt so good to see the familiar faces. He felt tears of relief flood to his eyes, and he had to choke back a sob.

Clemens stepped forward taking authority of the situation with great ease. He rearranged his bag over his shoulder and approached the captain with confidence.

"Captain, I appreciate the lift. I hope it's not out of your way."

"Well, you've been more than hospitable to Lucas. And besides, that order came direct from UEO command," said Nathan smiling warmly and offering his hand to Clemens. Clemens took the captains hand and shook it with self-confidence. Clemens looked at Lucas briefly and smiled but the smile never quite reached his eyes.

"It was a pleasure, Captain. Lucas is a remarkable young man." Lucas glared at the man from behind his glasses. Clemens entered the launch, and Lucas remained frozen in place. Captain Bridger looked at Lucas and clapped him on the back.

" Things went well I assume?" questioned Nathan warmly. Lucas nodded and rearranged his bag over his shoulder.

"I learned a lot," replied Lucas quietly. Nathan nodded respecting the boy's detached response.

"I missed you, Lucas. I'm glad you are back." Lucas managed a weak smile and walked towards the launch. Just as he was to walk into the shuttle, Ford handed him an envelope with a smirk.

"Expecting sun, Lucas?" asked Ford in amusement. Lucas shrugged and turned to look at the captain.

"What's this?" Lucas glanced into the envelope to see a tidy sum of money looking at him.

"It's your salary, retroactive. C'mon, kid, let's go," replied Nathan with a smile. Lucas followed the captain and the rest of the crew onto the launch. Lucas remained quiet and lost in thought as the launch headed back to SeaQuest.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Pacific Ocean in the North Equatorial counter-current**_

 _ **Aboard SeaQuest**_

Two days later, Nathan sat at his desk thoughtfully looking over some papers. As much as he tried to concentrate on his work, his mind kept wondering to Lucas. The last two days had been strange at best. Lucas had been MIA for most of his duties and when approached, he had been belligerent and rude to anyone who dared to question him. Nathan had tried to give him some breathing space to work out whatever teenage crisis he was going through, but it was getting to the point of ridiculousness; he knew he was going to need to intercede. The question was how to intervene in a constructive, proactive way. It was obvious the kid had some sort of chip on his shoulder since he had come back to SeaQuest, and Nathan wanted to find out what was going on in his head. Nathan was brought back out of his thoughts as his com-link rang out loudly. He answered to hear O'Neill's voice.

"Captain, you're wanted on the bridge."

"I'll be there in a few minutes, Lieutenant."

"Aye, sir."

Nathan stood up and stretched with his thoughts still on Lucas. He decided to take a detour past Lucas' room on his way to the bridge. The kid had been hiding out in his room as much as he could the last few days, and he figured that would be where he would be. Nathan was rewarded with loud music pumping from the boy's room. The door was cracked open which allowed Nathan an opportunity to steal a look inside unnoticed. Nathan glanced in to see Lucas messaging with a friend. The conversation seemed strained which couldn't help to pique Nathans curiosity. Usually Lucas conversations were lightheartedly riddled with boyish silliness.

Lucas heard a noise behind him and quickly dropped the connection on the computer. He rose to his feet putting on the glasses and furrowing his brow when he saw the captain standing in front of him. He silently berated himself for not being more careful to lock his door. Nathan imagined the glare in the boy's eyes behind the glasses.

"What do you want?" asked the teen sharply.

"I was on the way to the bridge, and I thought I'd stop in and say hello," commented Nathan with a friendly smile ignoring the boy's coldness.

"Ok…hello," replied Lucas unimpressed.

"Lucas, what's with the glasses? Some sort of fashion trend on Node three?" said Nathan trying to understand the boy.

"Um, yah, something like that," mumbled the boy flatly.

"Why don't you come to the bridge with me?" asked Nathan hoping to draw the boy back into his world. Lucas shook his head and turned away. He felt tears come to his eyes as he hated pushing the captain away, but he felt like he had no choice.

"Do I have to?" asked Lucas almost whining. Nathan cringed slightly and sighed.

"No, Lucas, you don't have to, but I would love your company. Look, even Darwin wants to see you," said Nathan pointing at the gloomy dolphin who seemed to be holding himself hostage outside of Lucas room. Lucas looked at Darwin and dropped his shoulders. He missed the friendly animal too. He had been talking to Darwin often but hadn't spent any time with him since coming back. He couldn't risk being seen without the makeup and the glasses. Not yet. He needed more time to heal. He needed more time to sleep and shake off what happened. The more days that had passed had only increased his nightmares and deepened the bruises.

"I'd rather be alone, Captain, if it's all the same to you." Nathan sighed in defeat. "Fine, Lucas, if that's what you want. However, I need you to be on time for your next shift with Kristen. She said that you have been late for all your duties since you returned and that you've been distant and sullen. Please do what you can to remedy that ok?" warned Nathan sternly. Lucas nodded brusquely. Nathan looked at the boy again and bid him goodbye heading towards the bridge. The meeting had only served to leave him more upset and concerned about the boy.

Several hours later, Lucas assumed his position on c-deck looking at slides for the doctor. He had made sure to be prompt as he had heard the stern tone in the captain's voice. He didn't intend to get into any trouble while trying to avoid everyone. He wanted to lie as low as possible. Sitting down at his monitor, he had removed the sun glasses and glued himself to his work. He loved working in the science department; the work made him feel useful. He glanced at the slides and made notes on his report losing himself in the work feeling grateful for the distraction. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Darwin hovering at the moonpool. The animal had not left the veesel to feed yet that day.

"Darwin, you should really go eat fella. Aren't you hungry?" said Lucas still staring at slides. The animal nodded his head and chirped and splashed water towards Lucas. Lucas sighed with a laugh. He stood up and walked towards the moonpool reaching in and stroking the dolphin tenderly.

"I'm sorry Darwin, I promise to play with you after my shift today okay?" said Lucas switching on the vocorder. Suddenly Darwin's chirps and whistles filled the room with a flurry of words.

"Lucas hurt," squealed the dolphin.

"Shh quiet, Darwin, I'm fine. Please don't say that to anyone okay? Please!" pleaded Lucas not realizing the dolphin was able to discern that he was hurt. Darwin chirped the same thing over and over seeming to be in distress. Lucas quickly turned off the vocorder and opened the machine angrily pulling some at some wires disabling the unit. Darwin breached a few times and continued to act very restless.

"Go feed, Darwin. I'm fine!" shouted Lucas at the mammal tossing a sponge at him. The dolphin dove deep into the pool avoiding the sponge and swam off leaving Lucas alone feeling even more miserable. He stood staring at the moonpool feeling exhausted and haunted. He needed to get away. Maybe he needed to just leave the seaQuest and get some space. He was no good to anyone, and his dreams haunted him relentlessly. Every night he was strangled, and every night he woke in a cold sweat trembling in terror. Nick had told him that Juliana wasn't herself and looked like she hadn't slept well since he left. Mycroft's replacement hadn't arrived yet, and she was too dedicated to leave Node three until then. Lucas worried about her incessantly. Nick acted like nothing happened, yet Lucas could see the black circles under his eyes; Nick was still frightened too. It's my entire fault, thought Lucas bleakly. He should have spoke up before Mycroft became so irrational. Lucas had known almost immediately that the hacking was wrong. It might not have been immoral, but it certainly had been illegal. That knowledge alone should have made him alert Captain Bridger. For crying out loud, he knew better! Damn it, why hadn't he, thought Lucas silently berating himself up. He knew how hard the UEO worked to maintain peace and tranquility. He knew! Lucas pounded his fist on the side of the moonpool angrily.

"Hey, Lucas, my man, just the guy I was looking for," said the voice of Lt. Krieg as he entered the c-deck. Lucas stiffened and refused to turn around.

"What do you want?" retorted Lucas. Ben Krieg squinted at the boy whose back was to him and wondered what was wrong. Lucas was usually excited to see him and always overjoyed to join him on any practical jokes he might have planned for crew members. Ben walked over and clapped the boy on the back kindly. Lucas turned away silently chiding himself for taking off his sunglasses.

"Um… I have the perfect movie for you, my friend. Wild chicks from planet Meroe and plenty of popcorn…dude, this movie will teach you the birds and the bees in full techno colour. Of course, being that I'm a responsible adult, I will need to cover your eyes during the umm…educational parts but hey, what are big brothers for?" chuckled the dark haired man. Part of Lucas wanted to confide in Ben. Ben was very much like a big brother. He was a big goof and loads of fun but also very trustworthy. Ben was always there when he needed a friend or just someone to goof around with. Lucas hated feeling like he had to be mean. He just didn't know how else to get Ben to leave him alone.

"Go away, Ben. I have too much to do today. Go find Tim or Miguel to bug!" snapped Lucas shaking Ben's hand off his back and walking away.

"Hey buddy, what gives?" asked Ben with obvious hurt in his voice.

"Just go away Ben!" snapped Lucas wincing at his own voice. Lucas kept walking leaving Ben standing on the c-deck alone.

Lucas walked slowly to his room. He shook his head feeling sick to his stomach. He had left his post with his work undone, and he had left his glasses at his desk. Damn it, he cursed as he pounded his fist on his door. He would have to find his way back and get those glasses without anyone seeing his face.

Lucas' PAL rang in his pocket and he answered it irritably.

"WHAT?" he snapped.

"To the bridge, Mr. Wolenczak," stated a stern voice that Lucas recognized as Captain Bridger. Lucas groaned feeling trapped.

"Uh, captain, I can't come right now."

"Now, Lucas. Tim needs some help with the mainframe sensors." Lucas swore out loud and leaned against the wall feeling worn out. He was getting tired of trying to avoid everyone. It was virtually impossible.

"Tell him to figure it out himself!" mumbled Lucas crossly. He disconnected the call, removed the PAL and dropped it on the floor. He needed a place to hide out. He couldn't keep avoiding everyone. He ran to his room, filled his backpack with some essentials and took off down the corridor in search of a hiding place.

Nathan felt his temper flare when Lucas ended his call. The boy had pushed him over his last nerve. What was going on with him? Ever since he had returned back from the Node and even before, Lucas had been irritable and flippant. The kid had a chip on his shoulder, and Nathan wanted to know why now. He was finished with being patient waiting for the boy to come to him. Lucas was going to tell him what the hell was going on with him, and he was going to do it now.

"You have the Bridge, Commander. I need to find a certain young man and have a little chat." Jonathan nodded and took the captain's place at the helm. Nathan quickly left the bridge and walked onto the Mag-lev. He sat down and rubbed the back of his neck stiffly. He attempted to connect Lucas by his PAL with no response. He didn't know if he should be worried or angry but both emotions stormed inside of him. Something was wrong and he needed to get to the bottom of it. When Nathan reached his stop, he walked towards Lucas' room with a clear purpose in mind. Once he reached the teenagers room, he quickly discovered that the boy was missing. Nathan combed areas on SeaQuest where Lucas could be normally found with no luck. Minutes turned into an hour and still he could find no trace of him other than the silly sunglasses at his work station on c-deck. Nathan's irritation turned to deep unease. It wasn't like Lucas to go missing completely. With foreboding worry in his gut, Nathan called an emergency meeting with his senior staff.

Within a half hour, Nathan walked into the ward room mumbling under his breath as his senior crew spoke quietly amongst themselves. They all were well aware of Lucas' strange behaviour the last few weeks, but no one knew that Lucas had disappeared. Nathan sat down collecting his thoughts silently.

"The kid needs an adjustment to his brain upload mechanism," mumbled Jonathan Ford in irritation looking at his captain. Nathan smirked. It had been twice that week that Jonathan had to pick up the pieces of Lucas' disorder, and both times had been a huge inconvenience to him. Ben groaned and elbowed Jonathan harshly in response to the remark.

"Uh, Commander, that kind of thing went out with the stone ages," said Ben snidely jeering at him. Jonathan scowled at Ben still annoyed.

"A few adjustments to your brain upload mechanism as a kid might have been useful as well," commented Jonathan sarcastically. Ben made a face in response but remained quiet. Kristen looked at the man in confusion. It took a lot to silence the joker of the group.

"Brain upload mechanism?" she questioned curiously. Chief Crocker laughed out loud with a twinkle in his eye.

"Uh… a good old fashioned kick in the pants, Doc," replied the jovial man still smirking. Kristen looked at the men in astonishment.

"That's simply barbaric," she stated with disgust in her voice. Crocker, Jonathan, Tim and Miguel chuckled loudly in amusement at her reaction. Katie glanced at Kristen in sympathy, and Ben remained quiet. Kristen turned her attention to Captain Bridger for support. Nathan shrugged and stood up.

"After the last few weeks, it doesn't sound like a bad idea to me," commented Nathan flatly. The room broke into laughter at the captain's remark helping to alleviate some of the tension.

"Nathan Bridger," gasped Kristin in dismay. Nathan raised his eyebrows slightly and held up his hand in an attempt to calm the woman. She stared darts at him.

"I'm kidding, Kristin," he asserted gently. Kristen nodded hesitantly but remained silent. Her expression and body language showed she was obviously annoyed with him.

Nathan proceeded to update his crew on the events of the morning and afternoon and that Lucas was currently missing. Everyone sobered as Nathan continued explaining what he knew. Various crew members shared similar stories of Lucas' behaviour including Ben who was a little less forthright. It was apparent that no one knew what was eating the kid, and everyone was concerned.

"Uh, Cap, this is a submarine. How far can the scallywag go?" commented Crocker wisely. Nathan nodded in agreement.

"I know, Chief, but I've looked everywhere, and I've had no luck finding him. I just want everyone to be on the lookout for him. He isn't answering his PAL, he's not in his room, and I've looked in all his usual hangouts with no success," replied Nathan sighing wearily.

"He'll show up, Captain," reassured Katie kindly. "Sometimes kids just need some space, and it's hard to come by on this boat. There aren't many places to hide on this sub. We'll find him." Nathan nodded and smiled at her. He appreciated her good-natured reply. Right now he needed some reassurance.

"If anyone finds him, please contact me right away alright?" The group in front of him all nodded respectfully. "Okay, dismissed." Nathan watched as his crew exited the room talking quietly amongst themselves about places to look. Kristen and Chief Crocker remained behind.

"We'll find him, Cap, don't you worry. Has Darwin seen him?" Nathan looked up startled at the suggestion.

"I hadn't thought to ask, Chief, thanks for the idea," commented Nathan cheerful at the thought. If anyone knew where Lucas was, it was Darwin. The dolphin made it his purpose in life to know Lucas' whereabouts all the time. He was like a dog following his master. Crocker smiled at his old friend and exited the room.

Kristen stood up and put her hand on Nathans arm kindly. She looked at Nathan and could see the worry in his eyes. Nathan smiled slightly at her.

"I can't stop falling into the trap of being parental," he said shaking his head. Kristin smiled sympathetically. She was also worried about the teenager.

"They are supposed to irritate us, it's their job. But I hope you weren't serious before." Kristen couldn't help mentioning the previous topic in concern. Nathan shook his head and chuckled in spite of himself. Kristin reminded him of his late wife, Carol, when their son, Robert, was in trouble. She was always trying to shield him from consequences.

"Let's go talk with Darwin."


	3. Chapter 3

_Dream sequence…_

 _Lucas felt Mycroft's strong hands tighten around his neck. He clawed at his throat wildly gasping for air. His eyes bulged and he felt his pulse racing. Bright spots flashed before his eyes and he felt himself losing consciousness._

 _"Please don't," he pleaded with tears streaming down his face._

 _"Shut-up kid! You ruined all my plans! You deserve to die!" screamed the man vehemently. Lucas felt like his lungs would burst from lack of oxygen, and he knew he was going to die. He wouldn't get to see Captain Bridger again and tell him how much he appreciated all the man had done for him…how much he loved him. The captain would only remember how much of a nuisance he was. All the crew of seaQuest would be relieved when he was dead. No more Lucas to get in the way and to screw up. Life would finally be trouble-free. Lucas-free._

 _"Noooooooo!" screamed Lucas weakly feeling himself falling into darkness._

Lucas woke up clawing at his throat. He moaned as he felt his nails ripping into his own flesh. He looked at his hands to see blood and skin buried under his nails. He shuddered at the sight and wiped his hands on his jeans. He felt like he was losing his grip on reality after the nightmares. It took him several minutes to control his panic and to remind himself that he was not in any danger. He glanced around his surroundings trying to figure out where he was. As his pulse slowed, he remembered that he had hidden himself away from the beaten path of the SeaQuest crew. He had lifted a floor grate and escaped into the floor of the sub. It was the same place he hid from Ben when they played games like hide and seek. No one would find him unless he came out. NO one would think to look in the floors. He had been so tired that he had fallen asleep almost as soon as he sat down. Lucas was frightened and feeling desperate on the verge of exhaustion. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold onto his common sense.

Nathan and Kristen entered the c-deck and checked for Darwin. The dolphin was swimming around in obvious distress. He was clicking and chirping and splashing water. He nudged at Nathans hands expectantly. Nathan picked up the vocorder and attempted to switch it on.

"Damn, someone disconnected a bunch of wires," stated Nathan in frustration. Kristen looked at the vocorder and quickly took it to a work desk. She started to reconnect wires and do what she could to fix it. The machine bleeped and flashed as she attempted to switch it on and off to test it.

"Who would do that?" asked Nathan with his temper flaring. He could see that Darwin was upset and in misery. Nathan and Darwin were used to communicating vocally with each other, and it was evident how frustrated the mammal was to not be able to get his point across.

"Lucas hurt!" screeched the dolphin suddenly and Kristen's heart leapt in her chest relieved to have at least temporarily fixed the unit. Nathan grabbed the hand held device and ran to the moonpool.

"What's wrong with Lucas, Darwin? How is he hurt?" asked Nathan worry perceptible in his voice.

"Lucas blood eyes," replied the dolphin still screeching. "Bridger find Lucas! Bridger find Lucas! Lucas hurt!" The dolphin continued to swim in circles and breach and repeat himself. It was evident how distraught the animal was. Nathan looked at Kristen questionably. Kristen glanced at Nathan with concern written all over her face.

"Why would Lucas be hurt, Nathan?" asked Kristen feeling confused. Nathan shrugged his shouldered wondering the same thing. The boy appeared fine the last time he had seen him. It was his behaviour that was odd and out of character.

"To be honest, I haven't seen his eyes since he came back from Node Three because of those blasted sunglasses he's been wearing," replied Nathan attempting to stroke the agitated dolphin. "Calm down, fella, I'll find Lucas." Kristen suddenly had a thought pop into her head.

"Do you suppose he was in a fight? Maybe has a black eye? Has Darwin ever seen a black eye?" enquired Kristen. Nathan squinted his eye, pondering her words and stroking Darwin's chin thoughtfully.

"Why would he call it 'blood eyes'? Has Darwin figured out colours yet?" Kristen shook her head slowly and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes.

"It's not an exact science, Nathan. I haven't even heard Darwin use the word blood before. Blood can appear dark sometimes…maybe even black."

"Bridger find Lucas! Lucas scared!" clicked Darwin again looking deeply into Nathans eyes in earnest. It was almost like the animal was pleading with Nathan. Nathan looked into his friend's eye and patted him gently. It was almost like Nathan could feel the animal's distress in his head. Kristen stroked the dolphin as well. Darwin chirped a few more times and then swam away apparently on his own search for Lucas. Kristen and Nathan looked at each other quietly for a few moments.

"I'm sure it's nothing serious. Nathan," reassured Kristen patting the man's hand. "You know how teenagers can be." Nathan nodded. As much as he wanted to believe that, an unsettled feeling remained in his gut. He silently chided himself for not being more attentive when Lucas returned from the Node. No matter how often he told himself that the boy wasn't his personal responsibility, his heart never agreed. Lucas had touched his heart forever, and he genuinely loved and cared for the boy, even when the kid drove him to point of distraction most of the time. "Where are you, kiddo?" mumbled Nathan. Kristen and Nathan joined hands and left the c-deck resuming their search with determination.

Ben sat down on the stairs scratching his head. He was baffled. Lucas had hundreds of places he could hide because the kid was so damned skinny. Any time the two of them played hide and seek, Lucas won and half the time, Ben didn't even know where the kid had hidden.

"C'mon, Krieg, THINK!" he hissed out loud tapping the side of his head with his finger. Where would an annoyed teenager hide? He would need easy access to food and to the washroom. The kid was small enough that he could crawl through the ventilation system, and Lucas had done that before when he played pranks on him. Damn, it was a submarine for Pete's sake. How far could the kid go? Why did he feel so worried?

Ben stood up and walked down the corridor almost stomping his feet. He walked briskly not noticing part of the grate protruding from the floor. His foot caught the corner of the grate and sent him tumbling to the floor bringing him almost eye to eye… with Lucas. Ben blinked hard a few times as he focussed on the kid below him.

"Lucas, what the hell?" stated Ben. He felt irritated and relieved at the same time. He quickly tapped his PAL "Krieg to Captain Bridger, I've got Lucas. Second floor corridor b-deck." Lucas dropped his head and ducked down crawling into the darkness.

"Lucas, what's the deal?" demanded Ben removing the grate completely and dropping down into the floor.

"Lemme alone, Ben!" shouted Lucas angrily sitting in the darkness not looking up.

"The hell I will. Damn it, kid! You've got every person on this tub searching for you. What's going on?" demanded Ben trying to understand. Lucas was like a kid brother to him, and he cared about the kid. This strange behaviour was out of character for Lucas, and the teenager had never been one to be an attention seeker. This conduct was classic textbook attention seeking. Lucas shook his head and still refused to look up.

"I'm fine, Ben. Please just go away!" whispered Lucas sounding weary. Ben sat down and sighed. Being annoyed and angry with the kid wasn't going to help the situation. It was obvious the teen was distraught.

"C'mon, kid, it's me, Ben. You can tell me anything…" Lucas shook his head.

"No, I can't! I can't tell anyone." Ben could hear the pain in Lucas' voice. The kid was on the verge of tears. Ben reached out and put his hand on Lucas' knee gently to reassure him. Lucas pulled away and manoeuvred himself with his back to Ben in the darkness. Ben sat back and attempted to stretch his legs in the cramped quarters. Up above he could hear footsteps running down the stairs.

Nathan and Kristen approached the second floor corridor to see the floor grate removed. They exchanged a confused look and walked to the opening. Just as they approached Ben popped up with a look a concern. Ben quietly explained the situation to the captain to the best of his knowledge. Nathan sighed and felt his pulse calm as he caught his breath. What on earth was troubling the kid? After giving Ben instructions to call off the search, Nathan lowered himself into the floor of his sub. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust enough to see Lucas sitting with his back to him. Nathan crawled towards Lucas and sat down in the darkness.

"My knees are getting old, Lucas. Crawling into places like this is hard on this old guy," commented Nathan softly. Lucas shrugged his shoulders but didn't say anything. "Hey, now, talk to me kiddo. What's going on? Darwin is beside himself insisting you're hurt. Did you disable the vocorder?" Lucas stiffened and nodded his head in the darkness. Nathan could just barely see the movement. "Why, Lucas?" Lucas shrugged again turning around and leaning against the wall of the small space. Nathan reached out and put his hand on his knee kindly.

"Eventually you need to talk to me, Lucas. You haven't been acting like yourself at all since you came back from node three. Its evident something happened there. You have been bad-tempered and ill mannered since you returned to SeaQuest. You have been shirking your duties and avoiding everyone. It's unlike you, kiddo."

"I can't talk about it," said Lucas softly. Nathan squeezed Lucas knee firmly. Lucas winced in spite of himself.

"You can tell me anything, Lucas. You know that. Look, did you get into a fight? I'm not going to be upset with you, I promise. It's not so unusual when you get all that testosterone in one room. Perhaps over a girl?" began Nathan good-naturedly. "Darwin said your eyes are hurt. Do you have a black eye?" Nathan felt Lucas pull away from him backing further into the darkness.

"My eyes are fine," came the terse reply from the boy. Nathan sighed. He wasn't getting anywhere with the kid, and his legs were getting cramped from sitting in the small space. "Just leave me be, Captain."

"I'll tell you what. I will leave you alone for now if you come out of here, and go to your room. It's cold and drafty down here, and I think my legs went to sleep." Lucas didn't move or acknowledge the words. "Well?" asked the captain expectantly.

"I'm not going anywhere," came the stubborn response. Nathan sighed again. He leaned against the wall and stretched out his legs with a groan. It appeared like he was going to be here awhile so he tried to make himself as comfortable as possible in the cramped space. "Don't you have a ship to command, Captain," mumbled Lucas softly.

"I'm confident that Jonathan can handle things. He even volunteered to give you a kick in the seat of your pants for me," commented Nathan poking at Lucas' backside with his foot. He felt the boy crouch away from his foot without comment. "Well, kiddo, I'm not going anywhere either so you might as well spill it."

"I deserve a kick in the pants," whispered Lucas softly tears brimming his eyes. Nathan heard the teen sniffle in the darkness.

"How about you let me be the judge of that, Lucas. C'mon, just spill it. It's obvious that the problem has become bigger than you, so let me help you. I could spend all day guessing and never come close. Help an old guy out…" pleaded Nathan gently. He heard Lucas sigh and sniff again.

"I screwed up, Captain. I did something you won't like, and after I tell you, I know you will want me to leave SeaQuest," stammered Lucas with tears falling down his cheeks. Nathan let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding and shifted in his spot.

"Listen to me, Lucas. Before you continue, let me tell you this okay? Nothing could make me send you away from SeaQuest. This is your home. You may have 'screwed up' as you call it, but nothing you could do would make me send you away from your home. Got it?" responded Nathan in a firm tone. He heard the boy choke back a sob in the darkness. "Lucas, talk to me!" beseeched Nathan with concern.

"Mycroft wanted me at the Node to break into the World bank," choked Lucas pitifully. "It was all a ruse to get me there. They never needed anything from SeaQuest but me. Nick and Juliana hacked the UEO codes and contacted SeaQuest. Mycroft wanted power so he could control and re-allocate money where he saw fit. I'm sorry, Captain, I knew it was wrong, and I should have contacted you right away!" rambled Lucas with an audible sob. Nathan saw the boys shoulders shaking as he sobbed into his hands. As much as the situation was serious, it was still odd how the teenager was reacting to the circumstances. It was like he had convinced himself that the issue was beyond his grasp to mend.

"I see. Is there anything else I should know, Lucas?" asked Nathan in a mock stern voice. "How much damage was done?"

"He moved some money around, but I shut him down before it got out of hand," answered the boy. "I will accept any punishment you give me, Captain." Nathan scratched the side of his head thoughtfully. He was genuinely concerned about the kid's reaction to the state of affairs and was having a hard time understanding. His gut told him there was a lot more to the story than Lucas was telling him. Nathan cleared his throat carefully pondering his next words.

"Alright then, Lucas, I want you to come into the light and look me in the eyes when I discipline you," commanded Nathan sternly. Nathan strained his eyes to see what if any movement the boy would make. He saw the boy's head come up off his knees. "Now, son." He watched as Lucas turned himself around in the small space and inch towards him. As the boy came into the light, Nathan reached out to lift his chin. Nathan's jaw dropped when he saw Lucas' face. His face was tear-streaked through what looked like skin coloured makeup. Under the child's eyes appeared red pin-like spots speckled under each eye almost like freckles. The whites of his eyes were filled with what looked like broken blood vessels, giving each eye an eerie bloody look. Nathan also noticed scratches on the kid's neck that were still oozing blood. He reached out and pulled the high neck of Lucas' shirt down to see what was left of old scratches and green bruises. "What the hell? What happened, Lucas?" thundered Nathan anger apparent in his voice. He watched the boy grimace and pull away fearfully.

"M-Mycroft was angry. H-H-He…" stammered the teen.

"He did that to you?" sputtered Nathan trying to not frighten Lucas any more. Lucas nodded with fresh tears streaming down his cheeks. Nathan reached out and awkwardly pulled the boy into an embrace. Lucas seemed to melt into his arms releasing more mournful sobs. Nathan placed his hand on Lucas' head ruffling the child's blond hair soothingly. Damn, the kid appeared so fragile. Nathan's mind raced as he thought about what happened to Lucas. It looked like the kid had been nearly strangled. Nathan closed his eyes holding the boy close as the boy sobbed. "It's going to be okay, kiddo," whispered the captain quietly.


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is about the physical and psychological effects on Lucas. In reality, a victim of strangulation does not simply walk away from the occurrence unscathed. Of course, with Lucas the situation is even more complicated. He is already dealing with feelings of abandonment. The attack only served to amplify the deep buried emotions within Lucas. Captain Bridger has one messed up teenager on his hands.**

Kristen sat in her office writing her report. She felt a tension headache building in the back of her eyes. Removing her glasses, she rubbed her temples lost in thought. Most of her professional life had been spent caring for people's wellbeing and doing scientific research to improve health. She had usually been able to keep herself somewhat distant from her patients, but every time she dealt with injuries in children, her heart ached. The normal cuts, bumps, bruises and illnesses of childhood never troubled her much, but child abuse cut her to the core. The cruel, reckless behaviour of adults which brought innocent little children to her never failed to fill her with anger and resentment. She thought she could escape such things on SeaQuest but apparently not. Kristen replaced her glasses and glanced at her computer screen again. Lucas Wolenczak. Age 15. Attempted Strangulation. That poor child, thought Kristen. He was traumatized yet had managed to hide it for several days. It was no wonder his behaviour had been so odd and out of character for him.

When Nathan had finally convinced Lucas to come out of hiding, his injuries were evident to her right away. The ridiculous sunglasses and makeup had done an impeccable job hiding the injuries. The pronounced subconjunctival hemorrhages in the whites of his eyes and the petechiae on his cheeks and face was immediately apparent to her. Both were signs of strangulation. Kristen had never seen it in a child before but only in cases of domestic abuse. With Nathans help, she had managed to sedate Lucas allowing the boy to get some much needed rest. She suspected he hadn't slept much since the incident. Once he was asleep, it had been easier to access his external injuries. Bruises and actual thumb and fingerprints were visible around the boy's throat and neck as well as scratches and claw marks; the latter likely resulting from his attempts to defend himself while being attacked.

Kristen reflected on Lucas' behaviour since returning to SeaQuest from Node three, and it was all beginning to make sense to her considering the trauma he likely sustained. The teen hadn't shared the events in his own words, but his injuries and the fact that he had said Clements was angry spoke volumes. Restlessness, agitation and combativeness all described Lucas' behaviour since his return. She would need to do some further testing to see if his windpipe had been damaged. Victims of strangulation had been known to die days after being attacked without proper diagnosis and treatment. Delayed death could be caused by airway obstruction leading to breathing difficulties and/or respiratory arrest, upper airways swelling and vocal cord immobility as well as fractures to the hyoid bone and possible scarring of the tissue in the neck and tracheal stenosis. Any of the above could have been sustained in the incident.

A soft knock on her door caught Kristen's attention, and she rose from her chair to answer it. She hadn't realized that she had locked her door in her distress. Nathan stood in the doorway with his face etched with fatigue.

"Nathan, I thought you were going to get some rest," scolded Kristen inviting him in and clearing off a chair so he could sit down. Normally she wasn't a disorderly person but with her hectic morning, she had left things in disarray. Nathan came in shutting the door and sitting down. His brows were furrowed and he looked irritated.

"I couldn't rest, Kristen. I contacted Bill and talked with him about what we know about Lucas so far. Bill tried to reach Lucas' parents, but both of them are out of the country leaving us no way to contact them. He left messages with Lawrence's' secretary, and she promised to relay the message as soon as he called. She didn't think it would be for at least a month," replied Nathan in disgust. Kristen shook her head in disappointment. Lucas' parents didn't deserve a child. They couldn't have been less interested in the boy's well being. Each month, they wrote a detailed report on the boy and sent it to them. The only time Lawrence had ever replied was when Nathan once reported an incident of disobedience. The man had told Nathan to feel free to discipline the teen anyway he saw fit. The man had even had the sheer gall to suggest Nathan physically discipline the boy. Kristen still felt her temper rise when she remembered the event.

"A month? Oh, for heaven's sake. That poor child," shuddered Kristen her heart aching for Lucas. She sighed and took a sip of her now cold tea.

"His parents are idiots," retorted Nathan hunching in his chair in frustration. Kristen nodded in agreement.

"Well, Lucas has us, Nathan and the rest of the crew. We all care about him, and he's going to need all of our support if he's going to get through this unscathed," replied Kristen gravely. "I need to run more tests to see if he sustained any serious injuries. Victims of strangulation have been known to die days later from swelling and respiratory distress if left untreated. Internal injuries are invisible to us, but a colposcope can look for bruising or swelling in the throat. His external injuries will heal in time but the psychological impact may linger. I imagine he has been having night terrors as well as incidents of PTSD. Strangulation is a horrifying experience that can incapacitate an adult. I can't even imagine the impact on a teenager as young as Lucas. When someone puts their hands around your neck and squeezes, it changes how you feel about everything." Nathan nodded thoughtfully listening to Kristen's words closely.

"So what can I do to help?" inquired Nathan softly. He was willing to do anything he could to help Lucas recover from the trauma.

"I'm concerned about the other kids at Node three. Juliana and Nick in particular. What did they see? Did Clements attack any of them?"

"I will send Chief Crocker and Ortiz to Node three immediately to oversee things there," answered Nathan. Kristen nodded in approval.

"Other than that, we wait until he wakes up and I run some tests. Then the hard work starts. Nathan, he's going to need to talk and share what happened. That is where I'm going to need the most help from you. He respects you and trusts you. I'm going to need you to keep your resolve whenever possible when I'm not able. This feels too personal to me."

"Yah, I know what you mean," acknowledged Nathan with a sigh.

"He may not be himself at first, Nathan. Expect him to be angry, aggressive and full of rage. He may have felt like he was going to die and is carrying that terror deep inside. He may lash out at all of us in his attempt to feel safe again. It's all completely normal. It's not going to be a bed of roses." Nathan nodded gravely understanding the enormity of the situation. Kristen smiled encouragingly. "Lucas is a fighter. I have complete faith in him to recover from this," finished Kristen passionately. Nathan nodded again. Lucas was an amazing kid indeed, albeit a stubborn one. Nathan would make a point to do everything possible to help bring him through this.

 _ **Dream sequence**_

 _ **Med-bay on C-deck**_

 _Lucas' eyes were wide in terror as the man tightened his grip around his throat. He could see Jonathan, Captain Bridger, Ben, Katie, Tim, Miguel and Chief Crocker from the corner of his eye watching. They didn't appear even a little concerned by the situation._

 _"Help me, Captain," pleaded Lucas clawing at his neck desperately. The captain turned away and appeared to be busy speaking with Jonathan. Mycroft's hands squeezed tighter, and Lucas felt himself growing weaker as he fought for air._

 _"Shut up, kid! They won't help you. Do you think they care if you die? They wish you never set foot on SeaQuest," hissed the tall black man intensifying his grip. Lucas looked at his friends forlornly and felt tears roll down his cheeks. Why didn't they help? Why were they just standing there watching with no care in the world?_

 _"Ben, help me, please!" begged Lucas pleading with his friend to do something to stop Mycroft. Ben shrugged his shoulders as he looked away and continued his conversation with Katie.. Katie didn't look at him at all. Mycroft laughed and shook the frightened teenager. Lucas felt his windpipe crack, and he gasped for air horror filling his very soul. He was going to die, and no one cared!_

 _"CAPTAIN!" screamed Lucas one last time before darkness enfolded him. The captain looked up and smirked. "NOOOO!" sobbed Lucas. "Nooo!"_

Nathan sat up in his chair waking up with a start. He had been sitting beside Lucas' bed in Med-bay for the last few hours waiting for him to awaken. Nathan hadn't realized how exhausted he was until he sat down. Kristen had run as many tests as she could while the boy slept. Now they were waiting for Lucas to awaken to complete the rest. Nathan heard the boy scream out in terror and gently shook him.

"Lucas! Hey, kiddo, wake up!" said Nathan shaking the teen lightly. "You're dreaming." Nathan watched as the boys' eyes fluttered and opened. Lucas looked at him and then around the room apparently confused. "You're in med-bay, Lucas. You're safe," he soothed kindly. Lucas attempted to sit up, but Nathan held him down firmly. "No, no, lay still and wake up a little. You've been asleep for nearly 24 hours." Lucas relaxed for a minute and starred at the Captain blurry eyed. His dream was still fresh in his mind, and he felt himself feeling angry. The dream felt very real, and he couldn't shake off the rage building inside of him.

"Don't tell me what to do!" shouted Lucas angrily sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Nathan reeled back in surprise. He hadn't expected Lucas to wake up angry. The teen had been clingy and morose earlier before being sedated. Nathan had thought Lucas might have been more comforted to see him and want his support.

"Hey, now, I wasn't. I just don't want you to injure yourself," explained Nathan his tone even.

"I'm fine, sir," retorted Lucas irritably standing up. Lucas felt his knees buckle when he stood up. His head began to swim and he felt wobbly and light headed. Nathan quickly caught him before he fell to the floor. He helped him back onto the bed gently and sat down starring at him with concern.

"You ok, kiddo?" Lucas glared at him still feeling irritated. Nathan sighed resolutely. And here we go, he thought to himself. One angry kid.

"I said I'm fine! I want my clothes. I'm going to my room, alright!" snapped Lucas attempting to stand again. This time he felt less dizzy and began walking away from the bed searching for his clothing.

"Get back into bed, Lucas. Kristen needs to run some more tests first," replied Nathan patiently. Lucas ignored him and started rummaging through the lockers in the room. He found his clothes and started pulling on his pants in haste. Nathan stood up and grabbed his arm firmly. "Lucas, you cannot leave yet. Are you listening to me?" replied Nathan sternly. Lucas pulled away and glared at him.

"For Pete's sake, I'm fine!" he snapped. Nathan narrowed his eyes sternly and shook his head. It wasn't often Lucas spoke back to him, but it usually occurred when the teen was angry. It always caught Nathan off guard because it was out of character for the boy.

"No, you're not, Mr. Wolenczak. You were almost strangled to death, and Kristen needs to make sure you are not hurt more than we can see outwardly. Now get your butt back into that bed right now," commanded Nathan in his most firm captain voice. Nathan watched him jerk to attention and inwardly decide if he was going to obey. Nathan was glad to see the boy drop his shoulders and walk back to the bed. Leaving his jeans on, Lucas climbed back into the bed mumbling irritably. "Thank you, Lucas," replied Nathan resuming his place in the chair as well. The Captain took a deep breath and looked at the adolescent in front of him. Dark circles rimmed his eyes. A defiant look etched his face. A high brick wall being built to keep people at arm's length. Lucas turned his head away from Nathan and crossed his arms defiantly. Nathan sighed and leaned back in his chair. His mind wondered back to the past week. Something was going on with Lucas, and it wasn't just what happened at the Node. It had begun well before he left. Nathan still remembered the outburst on the bridge the day Lucas had gone to Node three. The boy had been flippant and genuinely furious with him. It still puzzled Nathan as to what was eating the boy, and why his anger was aimed at him.

 _ **The Bridge**_

 _ **The day before Lucas left for Node Three**_

Nathan waited impatiently for Lucas to come to the bridge. He had asked the teenager to remain on the bridge and observe the others as part of his training. It troubled Nathan that the youngster had left his post without permission. Nathan heard footsteps, and he looked up to see Lucas approach him sullenly.

"Why did you leave?" he inquired.

"Captain, nobody wanted me here."

"I did. Did you mention that to anyone?" replied Nathan looking into the boy's clear blue eyes sternly. The boy shook his head and looked away from his gaze.

"No," came the teen's soft reply.

"Maybe you should have. This message just came in. It's got top secret UEO security clearance. SeaQuest is being ordered to Node Three Communications Installation. Lt. O'Neill?" replied Captain Bridger looking at the message on screen and then at the Lieutenant across the bridge.

"Um, ok, Node Three is the central nervous system for all the major fibre optics highways across the Pacific. Everything from telephone calls to encrypted military information gets routed through there. Even the entire Internex," explained Tim O'Neill bringing everyone on the bridge up to speed on the Installation. Nathan nodded and cleared his throat thoughtfully.

"It appears like they also made a priority request for some OLA modules," continued the captain eying Lucas. Lucas shrugged and shifted his weight to his other foot.

"Optical Logic Arrays, we've got plenty of them," replied Lucas leaning in to read the rest of the message. His face froze when he saw his name on the memo. He felt his pulse race and his temper flare.

"There's also been a request for a visit from Mr. Lucas Wolenczak," relayed the captain with interest. Lucas groaned audibly.

"Oh, I see, so as soon as there is a computer problem I'm back in favor. Well, forget it, I'm not going, and you can't make me! There are such things as child labour laws you know!" retorted Lucas. Ben stepped forward, placed his hand on Lucas' shoulder kindly and cleared his throat hoping to distract the irate teen. Nathan raised his eyebrows in surprise at the outburst.

"Where is this coming from?" he asked in confusion eying Lucas sternly.

"I wanna get paid! Everyone else gets paid. Why shouldn't I? What's wrong with that? And I don't want an allowance, I want a salary," blurted the enraged teen backing away and shrugging Ben's hand off his shoulder. Bridger scratched his head carefully thinking it was wise to diffuse the situation as best as possible.

"Ok," he replied softly, staring at Lucas in astonishment. Lucas' irritation was still evident in his posture.

"I'm the one that keeps everything running," Lucas retorted angrily. Nathans eyes widened, and he furrowed his brows slightly at the reply.

"Oh, really? Everything?" he cautioned firmly. Lucas rolled his eyes belligerently and stormed off the bridge. The crew on the bridge seemed to be holding their breath as they silently watched the teenager make a hasty retreat in a huff.

 _ **SeaQuest Med-bay—present time**_

"Are you just going to sit there and not say anything?" mumbled Lucas drawing in a deep breath looking at the older man beside him. Nathan was startled back to the present when he heard the soft voice. He smiled lightly and cleared his throat thoughtfully.

"I was waiting for you to say something," he replied carefully. "I didn't want to say anything to get my head snapped off again." Nathan winked at him playfully. Lucas frowned and lowered his eyes again. He couldn't explain why he felt so angry at the captain. In his head he knew it was just a silly dream and not reality, but the emotions pent up inside of him still lingered. As absurd as it sounded, a part of Lucas blamed the captain for not rescuing him from Mycroft. "Do you feel like talking about it, Lucas?"

"No," came the terse reply. Nathan nodded in understanding. Lucas would have to come to him on his own terms. The teen always had to be the one to initiate things. Nathan had come to respect that from the boy.

"Well, kid, I'm here and ready to listen anytime. I'm sure things were pretty intense, and you were scared. I'm impressed how well you are holding together considering…"

"Don't be," interrupted Lucas crossly. Lucas sat up again and dangled his legs over the side of the bed. He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his messy blond hair. Nathan patted his knee kindly.

"I'm proud of you, Lucas, even if you won't accept it. You stopped Clements and prevented him from having access to the World Bank. Sure, you didn't tell the entire story, but it's not too late to hold him accountable for his behaviour. The UEO can…"

"NO! Captain, you can't!" insisted the boy in desperation. His eyes widened in terror and looked visibly shaken and haunted at Nathans words. Nathan ran his hand through his hair in frustration and pulled his chair to face Lucas more directly. Fear had replaced anger in Lucas. It was like a switch had been thrown.

"Lucas, c'mon talk to me! Tell me what happened. Trust me, you will feel better," insisted the captain gently tapping his knee. Lucas looked at him and shook his head stubbornly. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks. The boys face looked haunted. Nathan reached out and touched the boys hand compassionately. Lucas' hands were ice cold and trembling. Good grief, what exactly happened to the kid? "Talk to me, kiddo," he encouraged patting the boys hand. "He can't hurt you anymore, Lucas. I won't let him, I promise." Nathan stood up and embraced him tightly. He felt the boy stiffen, but he didn't pull away. It was obvious that Lucas was fighting between his need for comfort and his anger.

Lucas' heart ached as the captain held him close. It felt so nice to be held by someone. It made him feel safe, and it was a good feeling. He wanted to just blurt out everything that happened. The captain had promised that he wouldn't send him away, plus he already knew the worst. He didn't seem upset at him but only concerned. Why couldn't he shake the feeling of anger? His stupid father made him unable to trust anyone, and he hated it. Lucas always felt like he was burden to everyone. He hated feeling like he needed to keep everyone at arm's length. Captain Bridger seemed to care, and that made him dangerous. He had grown to love the older man and deep down he wanted to make the man proud of him. Lucas squirmed against the captain's embrace, and the man stepped back. Tears shimmered on Lucas' face as he looked at the captain.

"Oh, kiddo," whispered Nathan looking at the boy so visibly drowning in anguish. Just then his commlink rang out loudly causing Lucas to jump in alarm. Nathan smiled and patted his leg. "It's just my PAL, son. Bridger," he stated tapping the link.

"Captain, Admiral Noyce wishes to speak with you immediately, sir," informed the voice of O'Neill from the bridge.

"Thanks, Lieutenant. I'll take it in the Ward room. Tell him I'll be there in ten," replied Nathan.

"Aye, sir."

Nathan sat down and looked at Lucas again. He hated to leave the boy when he appeared so distraught. He felt sure that Admiral Noyce wanted to discuss more about Clemens. He just hoped the Admiral wouldn't order him to push Lucas into talking. Nathan knew the kid had a stubborn streak and whenever he pushed him, Lucas pushed back obstinately. He rarely put his foot down with Lucas because he knew he'd have a huge battle on his hands.

"I need to take this call, Lucas. I will be back as soon as I'm can, but in the meantime, I want you to stay put. No wandering off! Kristen said you could have some serious injuries, and she needs to do some more tests to be sure. I want you to cooperate with her. I mean it! Don't give her a hard time, got it?" warned Nathan firmly. Lucas said nothing and looked at the floor. Nathan reached out and lifted the teens chin until their eyes met.

"Am I clear?" The boy groaned and pushed Nathans' hand away in irritation. Instead of answering the boy lay back in the bed and looked at the wall obstinately. Nathan sighed and reconciled himself to the fact that he wasn't going to get an audible response from the kid. He patted the teens shoulder compassionately and left Med-bay. Lucas turned and watched him leave. He rolled over, curled up into a ball and stared into space emotionally exhausted.

tbc What does Admiral Noyce want?


	5. Chapter 5

Part five

 _ **SeaQuest**_

 _ **Ward Room**_

"Damn it, Bill! I can't do that," fumed Nathan pounding his fist on the desk. "Lucas is traumatized, for Pete's sake. Forcing him will only make it worse!" Nathan looked at his good friend on the screen and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"My hands are tied, Nathan. Secretary General Dre is unimpressed that encrypted UEO codes were hacked by teenagers. Juliana Corbin and Nick Andrews refuse to cooperate, and their parents are fiercely protecting them. On top of that, we can't detain Clemens without Lucas' statement. Hacking into the World Bank is illegal, Nathan. C'mon, help me out here!" stated Noyce irritation in his voice. Nathan swallowed hard taking in the enormity of the situation. He realized things were complicated at best, but Lucas' well-being still had to come first. He planned to make sure of it. Someone had to have his best interests at heart.

"Lucas stopped Clemens, Bill. He shut down the Node,"

"Yes, but first he hacked into it. Why would he do that?"

"Because he's a 15 year old kid, and he was terrified!" insisted Nathan in irritation. "The nutcase threatened him and when Lucas shut down the Node, the bastard tried to strangle him to death! The kid is in shock, Bill! I can't force him to talk. I won't force him!" finished Nathan ending the transmission in exasperation. Nathan knew he would regret ending the call abruptly, but he was losing his cool and it was better to walk away before he said something he would really regret later. Of course, Juliana and Nicks parents were protecting them. Parents do that for their kids. Lucas' parents should be on SeaQuest protecting him and helping him recover from the terrifying event. Instead, the poor kid was alone. After six months on board seaQuest together, Lucas had grown on him. Sure, the kid was annoying as hell sometimes, but he also was hardworking, incredibly intelligent and a fantastic person to know. Nathan had grown to love the teenager like a son. He wasn't anything like his biological son, Robert. They were as different as night and day. Robert was tenacious and rebellious as an adolescent. Lucas wasn't anything like that at all. He was a loving, polite kid. He sought to please people, and he had a compassionate heart. Nathan ran a hand over his face rubbing his temples. Why did things have to be so damned complicated? Nathan left the Ward room on his way to the bridge with his mind still on Lucas.

 _ **Lucas' Room—several hours later**_

 _ **Dream Sequence**_

 _Lucas looked up to see Clemens enter the bridge. Lucas' heart skipped a beat. Why would Clements come back to SeaQuest? Captain Bridger greeted him warmly and offered to show him around. Clemens happily accepted eying Lucas with a menacing smirk. Lucas took a few steps back in confusion until he bumped into someone behind him. He whirled around to see his father looking intensely at him._

 _"Watch where you're stepping, Lucas!" replied the man cantankerously. Lucas' mouth dropped open in surprise. He blinked hard a several times as he watched his father cross the bridge and trade conversation with several of the crew._

 _"D-dad, why are you here?" stammered Lucas in bewilderment. Mr. Wolenczak stared at him with annoyance and shook his head._

 _"For an intelligent kid, you sure are dim-witted! You know I've been helping Westphalen with some experiments for the UEO," retorted the man crossly. Lucas remained staring at his father in complete amazement. His father reached out to hand some folders to Lucas. "Here, make yourself useful and take these to c-deck." Lucas stood frozen in his spot wide eyed._

 _"Don't just stand there, Lucas, take that data to Kristen," commanded Captain Bridger. "On second thought, never mind, Martin and I can do it in a few minutes. I was planning to show him the vocorder on c-deck anyways." Lucas mouth gaped in disbelief._

 _"But Captain, that project is top secret," protested Lucas._

 _Mycroft strode across the bridge and slapped Lucas across the face harshly. Lucas stumbled backwards and struggled to keep his footing._

 _"Shut up, kid! No one asked you for your opinion," snapped Mycroft haughtily. He laughed and looked at the other members on the bridge. They all seemed to be taunting him. "Everyone on this vessel wants you gone. You're a nuisance and a liability!"_

 _"I wish he wasn't my son. He's such a disappointment," commented Mr. Wolenczak forlornly looking at Lucas in disgust. Captain Bridger walked across the floor and patted the man on the back in sympathy. Mycroft took another few steps towards Lucas threateningly. Lucas took a few more steps backwards and found his back against the wall. The large black man wrapped his hands around Lucas' neck and tightened his grip. Lucas' gasped in horror. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw all the friends he cared about watching. No one made a move to stop Mycroft's assault._

 _"Captain, help me please," pleaded Lucas choking and clawing at his throat in defense. Captain Bridger glanced at him briefly but turned away in disinterest._

 _"Lt. Ortiz, show Martin to c-deck when he's finished. Lawrence, would you care to accompany me?" commented the captain. Mr Wolenczak nodded and took one last look at Lucas while shaking his head in repugnance. He followed the captain and walked towards the door indifferently. Lucas' heart dropped in despair when the captain and his father turned to leave the bridge. He looked into Mycroft's eyes and cringed in dread. Mycroft was going to kill him, and neither his father nor Captain Bridger was going to stop him._

 _"CAPTAIN!" shouted Lucas falling into darkness._

Lucas woke in a cold sweat. He sat up trying to figure out where he was. He glanced around the room to see his computers, various baseball paraphernalia and clothing strewn all over the floor. It slowly dawned on him that Dr. Westphalen had let him return to his room to get some much needed rest. She had finished all her tests and thought it wise to let him rest in the privacy of his own quarters. She had promised to check in on him later, but he was to remain in bed until then. Lucas peeled off his damp t-shirt and tossed it onto the floor. He stood and reached for a clean shirt and ran a hand through his damp hair. Damn, that dream was twisted. His father on SeaQuest helping the doctor? Captain Bridger allowing a civilian to see the vocorder project intentionally? That dream was seriously warped. Still, Lucas felt immense anger welt up inside him again. Each time he had a dream it became more and more bizarre. Each time the captain showed no concern that Lucas was being strangled. It made no sense. The dreams kept making him feel angrier to the point of rage. Lucas had never felt this much anger before, and it was directed right at the captain. Lucas shook his head to clear it. None of the anger made any sense. None of this was Captain Bridger's fault. It's all my fault, thought Lucas gloomily. Just then a soft knock on the door caught his attention. Lucas stood up and unlocked the door.

Kristen smiled warmly when she saw Lucas open the door. The young man looked disheveled. His clear blue eyes looked at her inquisitively, but he stood aside so she could enter the room.

"Oh, Lucas, sweetheart, your hair is soaked, and your face is as white as a sheet. Did you have another nightmare?" she asked with concern in her eyes. Lucas turned and walked towards his bed sitting down weakly. He shrugged his shoulders diffidently.

"It's nothing I can't handle," he whispered mournfully. Kristen sat on his bed beside him and brushed his damp hair out of his eyes. He pulled away ruefully. He didn't wish to hurt the doctor's feelings if he could help it. He just didn't feel like he could cope with her hovering at the moment. She dropped her hand and stared at him intently.

"Want to tell me about your dream, sweetie?" she asked. Lucas shook his head firmly. He couldn't even figure out his dream. How on earth would he discuss it?

"What did you find out with all those tests you did, Doc? Am I gonna live? You took enough blood to feed a vampire army."

"Yes, my friend, you will live. All the tests came back normal, thank God. You're going to be sore for awhile, but there are no serious injuries to speak of," smiled the doctor patting his knee kindly. "You are one lucky young man." Lucas nodded. It did ease his mind to know that there were no serious injuries. Maybe now things could get back to normal, and Captain Bridger and Kristen would stop smothering him. "I am concerned about you, Lucas. SeaQuest docks tomorrow for shore leave. I'm going to recommend that you speak with a psychologist friend of mine. He deals with kids who have experienced trauma."

"WHAT? No way!" shouted Lucas standing up. "I'm not crazy, Doctor."

"I never said you were, my dear. However, you are not acting like yourself, and I think it would be good for you to have someone to talk with about what happened at the Node." Lucas glared at her groaning. So much for not hovering.

"Well, you can forget that idea! I'm not talking to anyone, and you can't make me. I can handle this on my own. You said I was fine so please leave my room, Doctor." Lucas walked to the door and opened it pointing the way out. Kristen walked over and closed the door again. She looked at the annoyed teenager standing before her. It wasn't the first time she had a show down with a hormonal teenager. She had enough experience to know how to tread lightly.

"Yes, I said you were fine physically, Lucas, but my concern is about how you are doing in here." She tapped his chest lightly where his heart raced as the moment escalated. Lucas dropped his eyes and turned his back on her. If she wasn't going to leave, then he would just ignore her. He walked over to his keyboard and pushed a button on his computer filling the room with loud rock music. Kristen clucked her tongue feeling her own temper rising. She had little patience for insolence from anyone let alone a teenager. She strode across the room sternly and unplugged the boy's computer. "Ignoring me, young man, is not going to make me go away." she stated placing her hands on her hips austerely. Lucas whirled around angrily and glared at her.

"Then get the hell out of my room!" he raged. Kristen's eyes widen, and she instinctively took a few steps backwards. She hadn't seen Lucas this angry before. Perhaps she had been mistaken in sharing her concerns so soon. He still needed time to work through things in his own head.

"Mr. Wolenczak!" reprimanded a firm voice from behind them. Lucas and Kristen turned to the door to see Captain Bridger standing in the doorway with a cross look on his face. "You will apologize immediately," he commanded. Lucas felt his heart sink in despair, and he apologized to the doctor sincerely. He felt his anger dissipate a little, but it still brewed within him hovering at the surface. Kristen nodded and patted the boy on the arm kindly.

"I will leave you two alone to talk." With that she walked out of the room glancing momentarily at the captain letting him know they would speak later. Her recommendation still stood. She wanted Lucas to be seen by a psychologist when they docked.

Once Kristen left the room, Nathan looked at the young man standing in front of him.

"Sit," he commanded pointing at the bed. Lucas obeyed. Nathan softened as he took in the bedraggled appearance of the teen. He sighed and sat down beside him patting his knee gently.

"I trust you won't speak to the doctor that way again," he admonished. Lucas nodded knowing he had crossed a line. He hadn't meant to blow-up at her, but he was grasping at straws to find his equilibrium.

"Yes, sir."

"You have another dream?" inquired Nathan leaning back against the wall. Lucas nodded. He felt so bewildered by his own actions. The dreams were relentless. They assaulted him each time he tried to rest. They made him feel irritable and confused sometimes not being able to tell the dream from reality.

"I get this can't be easy, Lucas. Believe me when I say, I'm not trying to make things worse. Admiral Noyce needs your statement. I can hold him off for a day or two. Perhaps a few days on shore with help. Would you like to spend a few days with Darwin and me on the island? Some sunshine and surfing?" offered Nathan trying to draw the boy in. "I contacted your parents, but they are out of the country for the next month. I guess that means you're stuck with this old man for shore leave."

"More like you're stuck with me," mumbled Lucas leaning back and drawing his knees up to his chin. Nathan smiled warmly. He really enjoyed the times Lucas stayed with him. They usually had a lot of fun hanging out. Lucas' company helped him feel less lonely for his family. The teenager was a joy to be around and a hard worker, offering to help him catch up on chores around the house and island.

"Hey now, don't we always have a great time? We might even be able to take in a baseball game. I bet Ben could get us some tickets," asserted Nathan. Lucas shrugged his shoulders. Even baseball didn't seem that interesting at the moment.

"Captain, would it be okay if I just stayed on SeaQuest?" queried Lucas. Nathan shook his head. Lucas was in a bad way. He was retreating into himself, and it wasn't good news.

"I'm sorry, kiddo, but I don't think that's a good idea." Lucas nodded knowing he wouldn't be allowed but felt the need to ask. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. All the anger he had felt earlier seemed to have dissipated leaving him feeling empty.

"Mycroft wanted to kill me," blurted Lucas suddenly.

"I'm sorry that happened, Lucas," replied Nathan holding his breath expectantly willing himself to stay composed.

"I thought I was going to die. Do you know what I thought about?"

"What?"

"That I wouldn't be able to apologize for blowing up at you on the bridge before. I'm sorry, Captain," lamented the boy softly. Nathan patted his knee affectionately. Lucas pulled away. "Don't be nice to me! I don't deserve that," he stated his temper flaring again. Nathan pulled his hand back carefully. The kid was like a yo-yo with his emotions.

"How would you like me to be?"

"MAD! Yell at me. Tell me what I did was stupid and illegal. Say you're disappointed in me. That I'm a gutless coward," whimpered Lucas wiping madly at his face annoyed that tears had escaped his eyes.

"Lucas, I can't do that. I don't think any of that is true."

"You should," he countered boldly. "What the hell kind of captain are you if you think it's okay for one of your crew to brazenly break the law?" Lucas felt his anger rise again unexpectedly. Nathan sat forward and put his feet on the floor.

"I'm a captain talking with a very frightened young man. A young man that I have grown to love and respect very much. You are not simply my crew member, kiddo. Haven't you figured that much out yet? What happened wasn't your fault, Lucas. No one blames you. In fact, I'm very proud of you for standing up to Clements in very scary circumstances," complimented Nathan sincerely. Lucas shook his head in frustration.

"IT WAS MY FAULT!" Lucas stood up and punched the wall fiercely. It was completely his fault. He knew it. Nathan rose to his feet and grabbed Lucas by the arm firmly. The torment was apparent in the kid's face.

"Then prove it to me! How was it your fault?" demanded Nathan firmly.

"Because we hacked into a foreign aid account first and moved funds. I knew something was wrong right then, and I did nothing. I was mad at you, so I did nothing. If I had contacted you it wouldn't have gone as far as it did."

"Mad at me?"

"Yes, and everyone one else on this stupid tub. No one appreciates me until something breaks then its Lucas fix this, Lucas fix that. I'm always in the way. Heck, even my parents don't want me. I'm nothing but a nuisance. Maybe you all would have been better off if Mycroft had finished strangling me." Nathan shook his head in exasperation. How did this kid get so down on himself? What was going on in his head to make him believe such lies?

"He kept tightening his grip on my throat and shaking me. I couldn't even see straight…" began Lucas staring into space with tears rolling down his cheeks. Then as if a switch was flicked on, Lucas started blurting out the whole story about what happened at the Node. Nathan listened intently without interruption for fear he would cause the boy to stop talking. The horror played out on Lucas' face as he described all that happened, but he hesitated near the end. Nathan knew there was more to be said but didn't push the teen. Lucas turned to face the captain. His face was red and blotched from crying. He couldn't get up enough nerve to explain how they encouraged Clemens to lie about what happened. Or about everything they did to cover their tracks. Or about the conversation he had with his father the day before he lost his temper on the bridge.

'It's going to be okay, Lucas. I promise you," affirmed Nathan pulling him into an embrace and clamping his hand on the back of the boys head. "Clemens can't hurt you anymore, and I'm here to help you work through this mess ok?" Lucas nodded not convinced. Maybe talking about would take away his nightmares. Maybe.

 **What conversation did Lucas have with his dad? Is Kristen going to really make him see a psychologist? Would a nice vacation on Nathan's island help Lucas?**

 **I'm fighting a nasty cold. It's almost Christmas, and I can't keep my eyes open. I've been trying to finish another chapter but I can't stop coughing.**

 **Still more to come. Think Mycroft knows where Nathan lives?**


	6. Chapter 6

_**SeaQuest**_

 _ **C-deck**_

 _ **Kristin Westphalen's Office**_

 _ **Thursday Evening**_

"I appreciate you taking your own personal time, Eric. SeaQuest is on shore leave for three days only," continued Kristin sitting at her desk shuffling through her notes thoughtfully. She had been describing Lucas' situation to the man and had sent him the boy's file and test results.

"Anything for you, Dr. Westphalen. Besides, my father would kick my butt if I didn't," laughed the handsome blonde haired, brown eyed man kindly. Kristin smiled warmly as she looked at the twenty-something young man. Eric Petersen was young, but he was an amazing therapist as was his father. She had known Eric since he was a child. His father and Kristin had been close friends. They had helped one another through each others' divorces. Kristin had followed the young man's career and knew that if anyone could help Lucas, Eric could.

"For heaven's sake, Eric, call me Kristin. You're not ten years old anymore," replied Kristin in light-hearted annoyance. The man blushed slightly at her reprimand. He pretended to look behind him and around the room carefully. Then he leaned in to the monitor slowly.

"Ok, Kristin, but don't tell my father," he whispered cheekily. Kristen rolled her eyes and clucked her tongue. Eric laughed and leaned back becoming serious.

"Think you can convince the kid to come talk to me?"

"No, but Captain Bridger can," admitted Kristin trying to figure out how to explain the relationship between Nathan and Lucas. "Lucas listens to him. He respects him…uh the boy's parents are…morons." Eric laughed and shook his head.

"Is that your professional opinion, Doctor," replied Eric still smirking. Kristin blushed and sat back in her chair with a smile. She wasn't very partial about things when it came to Lucas. The teenager had stolen her heart, and she hated seeing him hurting.

"Watch it, buster. One call to your father and you're toast," Kristin warned with mock sternness. Eric laughed and attempted to look properly chastised. Kristin took a minute to sort out her thoughts before continuing.

"His nightmares seem to be getting worse, Eric, and he is really angry. I'm worried about him. His behaviour is so unpredictable and frankly, uncharacteristic of him." Eric nodded knowingly.

"It's not so unusual for a teen with Lucas' background. From reading his file, his home life wasn't all that ideal or even typical for that matter. Busy, detached parents. Most kids don't have a genius IQ and graduate from Stanford at 14. His life isn't what you'd call normal. He lives on a submarine, for goodness sake." Kristin nodded in understanding. "Teens who have strong social networks and easy access to support can simply talk about their feelings and process their pain, and after a few troubling days have passed, they may feel just fine. I'm not sure about Lucas until I see him, but from what you've described, it's been several weeks since the incident which tells me he has likely developed PTSD."

"And?" prompted Kristin hoping to learn more about it so she could relay it to Nathan. "Lucas is going to be staying with Captain Bridger, Eric. He needs to know what to expect." Eric leaned back in his chair and absentmindedly chewed on his pen.

"Well, those who do develop PTSD find it hard to escape the memory of the event, and their thoughts seem to centre on the unpredictability and danger of the world that surrounds them. Adolescent boys may discuss the event at length, repeating details they remember or feelings they experienced, or they may mention the event in passing on a regular basis. On the flip side, some don't mention the event at all and they avoid people, places and things that remind them of the pain they endured." Kristin nodded as she jotted down notes in a notebook looking puzzled. "It's not exactly predictable, Doctor. Teens with PTSD may also develop symptoms that seem to have little to do with the memory. They might jump or startle easily, for example, or they may just seem angry and upset all the time. They may act out, fail to complete tasks or do as they're told."

"That certainly sounds like Lucas. Eric," replied Kristin sighing deeply. Her heart ached for Lucas. The poor kid was going through hell. Somehow they had to find a way to help him work through this.

"Well, see if your captain can get him to my office on Sunday afternoon. I should be here until 4pm. If the kid lets me into his thoughts, it will make all the difference for him. Don't worry, Kristin, treatments can help Lucas slowly become accustomed to the presence of the disturbing memories without feeling the need to react in a negative manner." Kristin nodded thoughtfully continuing to jot down notes.

"Thanks, Eric. I will be in touch."

"Anytime. Kristin. Shall I say hi to my father for you?" he said mischievously winking at her. Kristin blushed again and shook her finger at the screen sternly.

"You behave young man," she admonished. Eric laughed good-naturedly and ended the link. Kristin shook her head as the transmission ended. Eric was a damned good therapist but still a joker. She contacted Nathan's commlink briskly.

"Bridger," came the terse voice.

"Nathan? Can you meet with me in my office please? I have some information regarding Lucas."

"On my way," came the reply. Kristin looked over her notes. Lucas was an incredible kid. He may not have had access to strong, supportive, social networks in the past but he did now. They just had to get him to realize it.

 _ **Somewhere in the Caribbean**_

 _ **Bridger's Island**_

 _ **Friday evening**_

Nathan leaned back in his recliner and took a long pull from his beer. It felt nice to be back at home with no immediate responsibilities. Sometimes he forgot how draining it was being the captain responsible for an entire vessel and crew. Kristin and he often joked about being the parents of a bunch of military children. His mind returned to Lucas. He took another swig of his beer and closed his eyes wearily. It hadn't been an easy transition for the kid. It was taking all Nathan's patience to not lose his temper at teenager. He had hoped talking about the incident would alleviate some of the anger, but the boy's emotions yo-yoed faster than Nathan could speculate. He was too old for this. Robert had been a handful as a teenager. An angry, rebellious kid. Lucas had never been like that. Where was the peaceful, fun loving sweet kid he knew and loved? A sudden crash and a dull thud from upstairs captured Nathan's attention. Nathan rose to his feet and headed up the stairs two at a time.

"Damn," muttered Lucas to himself as he looked at the broken lamp. He hadn't meant to knock it over and afterwards in his anger, he had kicked the chair knocking it over as well. He walked over and stooped down to pick up the larger pieces. He should have fought harder to stay on SeaQuest. He just wasn't in the mood to be with Captain Bridger and play father and son. The captain wasn't his father. His father didn't give a rat's pajamas about him. Lucas groaned and thoughtlessly pounded his fist on the carpet crossly.

"Ow, damn it!" cried Lucas feeling the glass shards in the side of his hand.

"That wasn't smart," disapproved Nathan standing in the doorway of Lucas' room. Lucas stood up and grimaced clutching his hand carefully. "Are you ok?" Lucas nodded and walked into the washroom to rinse the blood away. Nathan followed him, opening the drawer and taking out a first aid kit. Nathan peered at the gash and whistled. "Was it worth it?" he commented. Lucas glowered at him but remained silent. Nathan took the boy's hand and a set of tweezers and squinted as he attempted to remove the glass fragments. Lucas winced as the glass was removed and yanked back his hand running it under the water again. "It's not deep. You'll live. Care to tell me how the lamp jumped off the side table?" enquired Nathan handing Lucas a paper towel to dry his hand. Lucas shrugged his shoulders and took the towel. Nathan sighed wearily. "Alright. I'll grab the broom. Stay away from glass until I get back."

"I'm not a child, Captain," muttered Lucas. Nathan looked at him brusquely. Lucas looked away and began to bandage his hand. Nathan left the room and returned with a broom and dustpan. He cleaned up the glass and tossed out the broken lamp replacing it with another. Lucas entered the room and picked up the chair placing it back under the desk. The two men looked at each other feeling the tension of the other. "Um, I'm tried Captain. I think I'm just going to turn in early if that's alright with you." Nathan glanced at his watch and nodded. It had been a long day, and he thought he might do the same.

"Sweet dreams, Lucas. And uh, Lucas, I'm just down the hallway if you need me okay?" Nathan smiled and patted the teen on the shoulder. The boy nodded and managed a small smile in return.

Martin Clemens switched on the light in his room and sat up abruptly. He groaned when he glanced at the clock on his side table. 2 a.m. He felt like he hadn't a good night sleep since he left the Communication Installation. He grabbed his jeans and pulled them on lost in his thoughts. The Node had been the perfect place full of highly intelligent teenagers who were conveniently young and gullible. He had come so close to having control of the World Bank. That kind of power was just ripped from his fingers by a child. Every time he thought about it, his anger flared again. He hadn't ever intended to hurt Lucas. Martin had actually scared himself when he realized he almost killed the kid. Why couldn't the boy just listen like the others? None of them questioned him until Lucas came. Stupid kid! He should've just done what he was told, for crying out loud! Why did this kid have to have some kind of moral compass? Martin walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the fridge slamming it shut in frustration. He fingered the bottle without opening it. Now the UEO was breathing down his neck. They had been snooping around and leaving messages for him. They wanted to ask him some questions, and he couldn't avoid them forever. He just wished he could talk to Lucas first, or even Nick for that matter. He needed to know what was going on. What kind of questions did the UEO have, or did Lucas spill his guts on what happened at the Node? Martin groaned and pounded his fist on the counter in annoyance. Not knowing was driving him insane. On a whim, he grabbed his coat and keys and left his room in determination.

 _ **Dream Sequence**_

 _Lucas lay on his back fixing some computer module on the bridge. He felt himself being pulled out from under the desk by his feet, and he looked up to see his father staring down at him. He frowned in confusion and sat up._

 _"D-Dad? Why are you here? No one told me you were coming." The man scowled at him sternly. Lucas felt his heart race in apprehension. He quickly tried to think of a reason why his dad would have come. Something must be wrong. "Is mom okay?" he questioned anxiously standing up and staring at his father. His father scowled again._

 _"Damn you, Lucas," snapped Lawrence. Lucas furrowed his brows in confusion. What was the matter? Lawrence roughly grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and began dragging him to the maglev. Lucas shook his hand off in bewilderment._

 _"Dad, what's going on?" demanded Lucas._

 _"You're coming home with me. I've had enough of this crap, Lucas. All I ever hear about from Bridger is how disrespectful and belligerent you are. I'm sick of it! Enough is enough!" his father seethed. Lucas felt his mouth drop open. What was going on? Lucas turned to look at Captain Bridger who remained transfixed on the screen watching whales. Lucas walked over to him brazenly._

 _"Captain?" Captain Bridger glared at him._

 _"It's time you left, Mr. Wolenczak," came the terse reply devoid of emotion. Lucas blinked in disbelief. He looked around the deck at the bridge crew in dismay. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Lucas watched as Jonathan walked towards him brusquely. Lucas felt himself take a few steps backwards in trepidation. He looked again at the captain and then his father. What was going on? What had he done to make everyone so angry?_

 _"Why are you doing this?" retorted Lucas in confusion. His pulse was racing as he looked at everyone. Jonathan stalked up and glared into his eyes maliciously._

 _"It's really very simple, Lucas," came an ominous voice not belonging to Jonathan at all. Lucas blinked hard and realized it was Mycroft standing in front of him. He attempted to back away only to find his back against the wall._

 _"NO!" he shouted. "This isn't real!" Mycroft sneered at him bitterly. Lucas desperately glanced at Captain Bridger and then his father. Both men glared at him resentfully. Mycroft stepped closer and wrapped his hands around Lucas throat forcefully. Lucas gasped and fought to get away. "Lemme go! Dad, help me! Captain, please!" screeched Lucas frantically. Lucas begged them to help. Both men appeared emotionless. "Stop! NO! PLEASE STOP!" Mycroft's hands gripped his throat tightly shaking him and laughing. "CAPTAIN!"_

Nathan woke with a start. He switched on his light wondering what had awoken him. He listened closely to hear mumbling and then a sharp scream. Nathan jumped up briskly and headed to Lucas' room. He flicked on the light to see the teen frantically clawing at his neck with his nails. Nathan gently took his hands and shook him lightly.

"Hey, Lucas, wake up!" The boy continued to flail around clawing at Nathan and screaming. Nathan grabbed his hands tighter and attempted to restrain him firmly. Lucas continued to fight him hysterically.

"Lucas! Hey, it's me, Captain Bridger. Wake up! It's okay. You're just dreaming!" soothed Nathan softly. Lucas jolted awake and froze in Nathans arms. He blinked rapidly. His face and clothes were soaked with sweat, and his pulse was racing. He roughly jerked himself away from the captain. "Kiddo, it's okay. It's just a nightmare," echoed Nathan again reaching out to touch his shoulder kindly. Lucas recoiled.

"Don't touch me!" he seethed breathing rapidly. His pulse continued to race as he reflected on the dream. It was too real. Captain Bridger wanted him to die. He swallowed hard attempting to gain his equilibrium.

Nathan sat on the edge of the bed feeling helpless. The teen appeared frightened and in some ways still lost in the night terror. He felt at a lost to know how to help him.

"Take some deep breaths, kiddo. It's okay," reassured Nathan offering him the glass of water sitting on the night stand. Lucas smacked the glass out of his hand angrily. Nathan jumped in spite of himself. He stood pulling up a chair and sitting down silently. He watched as Lucas breathed hard trying to gain control. Lucas glowered at Nathan the whole time never taking his eyes off of him. It felt like the kid wasn't really looking at him though but more past him. Nathan remained quiet.

Several minutes passed before Lucas felt his pulse return to normal. He blinked hard and felt tears brim his eyes. He blinked them away and took a deep breath dropping his head back on his pillow. He turned his head to see the captain gazing at him in concern. Lucas groaned.

"Captain," Nathan smiled kindly when he heard the soft voice.

"Must have been one hell of a dream, kiddo," replied Nathan. Lucas ran his hand through his damp hair. He felt like he was losing his mind. The dreams were getting more vivid and making him feel out of control.

"Yah, something like that."

"How about you tell me about it?" Lucas shook his head adamantly.

"It helps to talk. Besides, I'm not sure either one of us are going to get any more sleep right now," urged Nathan putting his feet up on the bed making himself more comfortable.

"Just a dumb dream, sir."

"Lucas, that was not just a dream," interrupted Nathan. "It was a night terror. Kristin warned me you may have them. The best thing you can do is talk about them." Lucas looked unsure. Nathan continued, "My son had them after we were in a car accident when he was around 9 years old. He was plagued by night terrors for weeks. Once he shared them, it took the fear away and they stopped. What's it gonna hurt huh?" Lucas shivered pulling the blankets up. "You're cold because you're drenched. Tell ya what, why don't you change your clothes, and I'll make us some hot chocolate, okay?" Lucas nodded wearily. Nathan patted the boy's damp head and left the room.

Fifteen minutes later, Nathan returned to the room to find Lucas fast asleep. Nathan stopped and looked at the kid in amazement. It looked like he had fallen asleep before his head hit the pillow. His hair was strewn across the pillow haphazardly. Nathan set down the mugs on the desk quietly. He carefully pulled the blanket up on the sleeping form and sat down in the chair. He glanced at the book on the side table and picked it up. A grin broke out across his face when he read the title. _The Mystery of the Whale tattoo._ A Hardy Boy book. There was still a little bit of boy left in the teen who seemed to be in such a rush to grow up. Nathan put his feet up on the bed, opened the book and began to read. He didn't think he would sleep anymore that night anyways, and he wanted to be close by in case another night terror plagued the kid.

 _Author's note: PTSD and Night terrors can be very hard for children to cope with. I have dealt with children younger than Lucas who have been victims of night terrors. Its exhausting to the child as well as the people who love them._

 _I know Lucas in the actual show was 16, but he always seemed younger to me. So I have placed him at a young 15._

 _Oh, and another reviewer mentioned that I spelled Kristin's name wrong so I've been trying to fix that in all my stories._

 _Thanks for reading. :) Merry Christmas._


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's note: I'm not sure who is reading my story if anyone :) It's taking me awhile to upload my chapters because of editing time. I have lots written but haven't had time to edit too well yet. Anyways. I'm hoping to get a few more chapters up soon. Lots to come yet.**_

 _ **Saturday Morning**_

 _ **Bridger's Island**_

Lucas squinted as he removed his sunglasses. He closed his eyes lifting his chin up at the sky feeling the sun on his face. It felt so good to feel the warmth of the sun. Six months on a submarine with only periodic times on dry land made a person appreciate the sunshine. As much as he loved SeaQuest, he also loved staying on Captain Bridger's Island. He moved his feet in the water as he sat on the end of the dock. He'd spent the better part of the morning swimming with Darwin who had been thrilled to see Lucas outside. The dolphin had spent 10 minutes breaching and chirping his excitement when he saw Lucas for the first time. Who needed a dog, laughed Lucas to himself. Darwin was 10 times better than the dog he always wanted but never had. His father said they didn't have time to own an animal. He often wondered why his parents had a kid because they certainly didn't have time for that either. Lucas shook his head trying to shake off the bitterness that sat in his gut. He still felt upset by the conversation that he'd had with his father before he'd left for the Node. His father had been so flippant with him. Just once in his life, Lucas had hoped his father would take time to care. Lucas sighed forlornly. He was still pretty shaken by his dreams as well. They made him feel bitter resentment towards both his father and Captain Bridger.

The Captain had been sound asleep when Lucas woke up that morning. Lucas felt himself blush when he saw his book in the captain's lap. That ridiculous Hardy Boys mystery book. His father used to read them to him when he was in middle school. Somehow, Lucas felt closer to his father when he was reading one of the mysteries. Lucas had quietly left the room after carefully placing a blanket on the older man and tucking his book away in his satchel. He was surprised he had gotten got any sleep at all considering how loudly the man was snoring. He couldn't remember why the captain was even in his room, but he had a suspicion his dream must have awoken the man. Lucas hoped to avoid him for as long as possible. He figured the captain would want him to talk not that he didn't enjoy talking with Captain Bridger. Normally, he was the first one Lucas went to for advice. It was just he felt like he was in trouble with the man after breaking the lamp the night before, and he also couldn't shake how genuinely angry he felt towards the man as well. A vibration in his sweater beside him caught his attention. He reached inside his pocket to grab his cell phone. Looking at the number, he answered with a grin.

"Hey, Wolfman!" he answered eagerly. "I'm so glad you called!"

"Frankie! I heard you're on shore leave? Where are you? We need to talk, man," came the friendly yet urgent reply. Lucas frowned worriedly. He hadn't seen Nick since he left the Node and hadn't spoken with him a week.

" Is Julianna ok?"

"Dude, she's fine. She's with her parents," reassured Nick quickly, hoping to alleviate some of Lucas' concerns about the girl. Lucas let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Ok, good."

"Uh, Lucas, are you ok?" Lucas inhaled sharply at the question. Nick could hear the pause and sigh on the other end. "Yah, I know, man. I've slept like crap since you left too. Look, uh, I don't want to add to it but, uh someone called me," replied Nick softly.

"Who?" prodded Lucas carefully, guarding his emotions.

"Oh hell, Lucas, Mycroft called me. I don't know how he found me, but dude, he's pissed at you because the UEO is breathing down his neck and asking questions. He wants to talk to you ASAP. I didn't give him your number, man, but he's smart, he'll find you." Lucas' eyes widened as he listened to Nick speak. Was it possible that Clemens could find him in the middle of the Caribbean?

"Where are you, Nick?" replied Lucas swallowing hard, trying to remain calm.

"Maimi. Where are you?"

"Nevermind that. Look, if I could find a way for us to meet tonight, could you make it?" asked Lucas, making plans in his head.

"Uh, yah, sure."

"Great. Um, just gimme a few. I just need to work out a few details, and I'll call you back."

Lucas flipped his phone closed and tapped it against his lip thoughtfully. Captain Bridger had taken the Stinger from SeaQuest while Lucas had been dropped off on a Launch. The Stinger could easily reach 200mph or more at top speed. Not that he would ever let Captain Bridger know he had driven at that velocity. The last time he took it into his own hands to hot-dog like that, he'd ended up grounded for a couple of days. Being grounded under normal circumstances sucked, being grounded on a submarine was brutal. Lucas calculated that it was roughly 350 miles from the island to SeaQuest which was docked at Port Everglades. If Nick could find his way to Port Everglades, Lucas could sneak him aboard SeaQuest and the two of them could have a peaceful, uninterrupted conversation. Lucas figured it would only take Nick about an hour by bus to get to the Glades. Captain Bridger had hung the keys to the Stinger and his security clearance badge to SeaQuest just inside the door of the house so it would be easy to borrow them. Lucas continued forming plans in his head and then dialed his cell again to explain his ideas to Nick.

 _ **Somewhere Else near Miami**_

Martin tossed his phone on the table in annoyance. He had just spent the better half of an hour evading the questions of someone from UEO in Pearl Harbour. When he'd left SeaQuest, he'd purposely traveled as far away as he could to avoid the UEO. He hoped to never deal with them again. Damn, stupid kid. He wished he hadn't heard of the name Lucas Wolenczak. He should have done more research and realized how connected the kid was to the UEO. He had heard about the kid's brilliance and had jumped at the chance to get his hands on him. Now, Nick refused to give him any details about the kid's whereabouts. He knew SeaQuest was docked at Port Everglades for four days for maintenance and the crew was on shore leave. What if there was a way to lure the kid back to SeaQuest so he could talk with him and figure out what the hell was happening. It would be the perfect opportunity with no crew on board. The kid seemed pretty freaked out after he'd attacked him. Maybe, he could use that fear to his advantage. Martin felt prangs of remorse remembering Lucas' face when he saw him before leaving the Node. He hadn't meant to hurt the kid. He wasn't sure anyone would believe that. If he could just talk to Lucas and find out some information, he possibly could make amends somehow maybe. Martin rubbed his temples attempting to devise a plan. After a few moments, he picked up his phone and dialed it with a satisfied smirk. It was just crazy enough to work.

 _ **Bridger's Island**_

 _ **Somewhere in the Caribbean**_

Nathan cleaned off his paintbrush and set it down. He wiped his hands on his shorts absent-mindedly. He had been painting the fence around his house most of the afternoon. Right now he needed a break and a cold drink. He also thought he'd drag the kid out of his room, and maybe they'd take a swim together with Darwin. When he woke up earlier, he was startled to find himself covered by a blanket and still in Lucas' room. He had glanced out the window to see the kid swimming with Darwin. Nathan felt warmth in his heart to see Lucas having some light- hearted fun. He didn't bother to push the teen into talking with him. He was fine to give him some space and time to enjoy the sunshine. He hadn't even thought it would be wise to mention Eric Petersen until the next morning because he knew it was going to be a fight to get him to go see the guy. There was no way that Lucas was going to go talk with a stranger about anything. The kid was a brick wall when it came to anything to do with his private thoughts. But Nathan thought he would indulge Kristin and give it a try. She insisted the therapist would be able to help. Who was Nathan to argue with Kristin? Besides, he'd never won an argument with her in his life.

He stretched out his legs and back. Whew, he was feeling his age this afternoon after stooping to paint. Captaining SeaQuest was making him soft, he chuckled to himself. He sauntered into the house and grabbed a bottle of Pepsi from the fridge. The house was quiet now. Most of the afternoon, he had heard music blaring from the teen's room. He figured the kid was blowing off some steam listening to his music. The sudden quiet felt a little eerie to Nathan. He'd still meant to talk with him about the lamp the night before and try to discern what was going on in his young head.

"Lucas!" he called up the stairs loudly. No answer greeted him so he climbed the stairs inquisitively. Nathan walked down the hall and knocked on the teen's door firmly. Still no answer came so he entered the room and was surprised to find it empty. He scanned the room and noticed a note on the desk scribbled in obvious haste. Nathan sat on the bed pulling his reading glasses out of his pocket curiously and reading the brief note.

 _Captain,_

 _I borrowed the Stinger to meet with Nick._

 _Don't be mad._

 _Call later._

 _Lucas._

Nathan felt his temper flare as he crumpled up the note in irritation. What the hell was the kid thinking? Stealing the Stinger and taking off like that. Nathan left the room angrily and returned downstairs looking at the place where he had hung the keys to the Stinger. Sure enough, the keys were gone. Damn it, why hadn't he noticed them missing before? He had been tricked into believing Lucas was listening to music all afternoon. He had no idea how long the kid had been gone. Nathan cursed to himself as he reached for his cell phone. He didn't even know where Nick was to find Lucas. What was the kid thinking? Nathan dialed Lucas' cell and listened to it ring.

"Yah, hello," came a voice.

"Mr. Wolenczak, get your skinny little butt back here right now!" demanded Nathan, trying hard to keep his voice even. There was a pause and a deep breath.

"I can't, Captain," replied Lucas softly, with his voice wavering.

"Damn it, Lucas. What the hell are you doing taking the Stinger," demanded Nathan, raising his voice. He could hear the boy gasp on the other side. Nathan willed himself to calm down. Losing his temper wasn't going to make things any better. There was time to yell at the kid later when he got his hands on him. For now, he needed to keep his head and find out what was going on. "C'mon kiddo, talk to me. Let me help," finished Nathan, his voice softer and calmer. He heard the kid clear his throat. "Lucas?"

"I need to do this, Captain,"

"You don't have to do it alone," pleaded Nathan, willing the boy to listen.

"I'll be back tomorrow, and then you can yell at me all you want. I'm sorry, Captain," came the soft reply and then the phone disconnected.

"Damn it," shouted Nathan as he dialed the number again. This time the phone went directly to voice mail. Nathan cursed again and pounded on the table in frustration. It was then that Nathan noticed his security badge was missing as well. "What the hell are you up to, Lucas?" he muttered crossly.

Nathan groaned and rubbed his hand over his face with irritation. Concern was welling up inside him. He was wracking his brain trying to figure out why Lucas would need to get back to SeaQuest and meet with Nick. Was it just a boyish prank; a rebellious time to drink and laugh about a silly practical joke on the dumb adults? Or was it more? Nathan couldn't be sure of anything with Lucas lately. His behaviour was so aberrant. In the meantime, Nathan felt helpless and stranded on his Island. The Stinger had been the only transportation method he had used. He silently berated himself for not bringing a launch as well as the Stinger. He had thought about it briefly but had dismissed the idea thinking that he didn't want Lucas taking the Stinger anywhere by himself anyway. Nathan stood up and grabbed his cell phone again, dialing Kristin. He needed someone to get to SeaQuest and talk with Lucas. He'd feel better if he knew exactly what was going on.

Lucas was lost in his thoughts as he drove the Stinger towards Port Everglades. His mind kept wondering to his brief conversation with the captain. Captain Bridger was livid. He had every right to be. Lucas had stolen the Stinger and the Captain's security clearance. Lucas shuddered at the cross tone in the man's voice. He felt sure the captain was going to throttle him when he returned the island. Lucas shook his head miserably. When was life going to get back to normal? He felt so tired, yet his mind would not allow him to rest. Clemens kept haunting his dreams. Lucas also knew that once shore leave was over, he was going to have to give a statement to the UEO about what occurred at the Node. He would need to be cryptic and take most of the blame himself. There was no way he was mentioning the strangulation, and he wouldn't allow anyone else to either. As far as he was concerned, the matter was over. Lucas had hoped that Clemens was half way around the world by now and out of his hair. He didn't want to see or deal with the maniac again. Why was the guy calling Nick? Had Captain Bridger already made a report about what happened without telling him? None of it made any sense.

Lucas leaned his head back wearily after he docked the Stinger. He glanced at his watch briefly as he waited. He had about a half hour to kill before Nick arrived, so he allowed himself some time to rest. He felt so dead beat. Bone tired. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this exhausted. His thoughts wondered to his dad. He hadn't allowed himself to dwell much on their most recent conversation. Each time he thought about it, he burned with resentment. His father had called him on a secure UEO channel to inform Lucas of his current plans. During the discussion, Lucas had become very terse and brusque in his responses. It had been nearly four months since Lucas had heard from his parents. Only one other brief, angry argument had occurred previously since coming on board SeaQuest. Captain Bridger had informed his father of some trouble Lucas had been in, and Lawrence had reprimanded him harshly. His father had called him an ungrateful, spoiled brat, threatening to come and discipline him himself. This most recent chat had ended similarly. Lucas felt tears brim his eyes. Why did his father always need to be so harsh and angry? Lucas wiped at his eyes in frustration. He forced the thoughts out of his mind and closed his eyes. Minutes later, his hand dropped to his side as he drifted into a fretful sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

"Why would he take the Stinger?" asked Kristin, with concern.

"The hell if I know. At first I thought it was a silly prank, but now I'm not so sure. I tried to call him but he was very vague. How close are you to SeaQuest? He stole my damned security pass. I'm thinking that's where he's headed."

"I'm not far away, but that makes no sense, Nathan. Why SeaQuest? He could have invited Nick to the Island, couldn't he?" she asked, trying to make sense of Lucas' odd behaviour.

"I wouldn't have said no if he asked," answered Nathan. Damn kid always had trouble asking for permission, he thought to himself. Lucas had this habit of just barreling ahead and accepting the consequences later when he could just ask permission and save himself the trouble. Nathan heard Kristin sigh loudly in exasperation. She was just as perplexed as he was.

"Have you seen any of the crew around at all?" queried Nathan.

"No, I haven't. Truthfully, I've been keeping to myself this time around. I've mostly been reading by the pool. Even if I had seen them, I wouldn't have seen them if you know what I mean," said Kristin, almost apologetically. Nathan understood what she was saying. Part of the reason he came to his island as much as he could was to avoid everyone and everything and just have some downtime. They all needed to have some time to just kick back and relax. Nathan wished he could just kick back and relax too, but now every muscle in his body was tense with worry and concern. "Nathan, do you suppose we should just let him have his little rebellious moment tonight? I mean, how much trouble can he get into on SeaQuest? She is dry docked after all." Nathan groaned and ran his hands through his hair in annoyance. What he really wanted to do was go to SeaQuest and put the damned kid over his knee.

"I can't put my finger on it, Kristin, but my gut tells me something's wrong. Last night he had another night terror and before that he broke a lamp…"

"Broke a lamp?" questioned Kristin. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure, and he had such an ugly on that I didn't push it. Then that night terror had him so angry that he was beside himself. I ended up failing asleep in a chair in his room for fear he'd have another, but he didn't. When I woke up this morning, he had already gone to swim with Darwin. After lunch, he just avoided me. I had intended on talking with him this afternoon, but he was gone. Damn that kid," Nathan's fist hit the table again in utter annoyance. Kristin jumped in spite of herself when she heard the bang. She could tell how frustrated Nathan was to be stranded and unable to get to Lucas. She wracked her brain for an idea to help.

"Nathan," began Kristin, suddenly having an idea. "Wasn't Jonathan Air force before he was Navy?" Nathan felt a smile creep across his face. Of course, why hadn't he thought of it? Jonathan could get him. Nathan just hoped that he would be able to reach the man. Like all of his crew, Jonathan tended to go missing for his shore leave. He wasn't even sure where Jonathan went when he had time off. The man had no family close by, so Nathan was at a lost to know what the man would be doing.

"Brilliant, Kristin. Let me try to contact Jonathan."

"Okay, Nathan, but please promise me you won't be too hard on Lucas. He's not himself at all," stated Kristin, almost pleading with him. Nathan felt his irritation rise as he thought of all the things he'd like to say and do to the teenager.

"He can't just take off like that and expect to get away with it."

"Nathan Bridger," Kristin reprimanded. Nathan stopped talking and listened to the irritation in her voice. "Lucas needs our understanding and patience right now, not our admonishments. He's been through a very traumatic experience." Nathan groaned.

"Kristin," began Nathan. He heard her cluck her tongue, and he resigned himself to the fact he wouldn't win the conversation. He sighed in resignation. "I'm going to call Jonathan now. I'll be in touch, ok?" They said their goodbyes, and Nathan closed his cell phone. "Damn fool kid," muttered Nathan as he dialed Jonathan's number.

 _ **On the beach in Miami**_

Jonathan Ford sat on his beach chair listening to the waves hit the shore. It was a wonderful, beautiful peaceful sound that he cherished. He had been trying to concentrate on reading a fiction book like his sister, Jenny, had suggested. The peaceful sound had captured his attention, and he relished it, but part of his mind was on his younger sister. Jenny Ford had been on Jonathan's back to relax and read on shore leaves ever since they were in the academy together. Jenny was the outgoing Ford child, while Jonathan was more reserved. Jon always made sure to call her when he was on dry land. He liked to check in with her once and awhile and make sure she was okay. She was a widow with two children. Her husband had been killed in the line of duty 10 years ago. Jonathan always felt like he should check in on her and the girls to make sure things were okay. Jenny was one tough woman. The sudden ring of his cell phone startled him; he reached into his pocket and answered it.

"Jonathan?" came a brisk voice.

"Captain? Is everything alright?" inquired Jonathan, feeling his heart rate speed up. It was highly unusual for the Captain to contact him during shore leave. Something must be wrong.

"Think you can call in a few favors, and pick me up on my Island?"

"Captain," replied Jonathan, in confusion. Nathan proceeded to fill Jonathan in on all that had happened including being stranded because of Lucas stealing the Stinger. Jonathan's mouth gapped in surprise. It was unbelievable to Jonathan for a kid to be so sneaky. It was out of character for Lucas even if the teenager was a tad annoying sometimes. He never went out of his way to be overtly rebellious.

Jonathan ended the call and proceeded to make plans to pick up Captain Bridger as quickly as possible. It was obvious to Jonathan that the captain had reached the end of his last nerve with Lucas. Jonathan was relieved he wouldn't be on the receiving end of the captain's wrath. He would have hated to be in Lucas' shoes right now.

 _ **Dream Sequence**_

 _ **The Stinger**_

 _Lucas sat intently inputting some data into the computer on the bridge. Everyone seemed to be engrossed in their work when Captain Bridger entered followed by Martin Clemens. Clemens was dressed in a SeaQuest security uniform. Lucas looked up and gasped when he saw the man. He rose from his chair and strode up to the Captain, carefully watching Clemens out of the corner of his eye._

 _"Why is Clemens here, sir?" asked Lucas, feeling frightened. Captain Bridger looked at Lucas oddly._

 _"He works here, Lucas. You know that! Quit playing around and get back to work!" stated the Captain in irritation. Lucas' mouth dropped open in surprise._

 _"B-but how? What does he do?" stammered Lucas._

 _"For Pete's sake. Lucas, what's gotten into you?" reprimanded the Captain, redirecting Lucas back to his chair and firmly forcing him to sit down. Lucas instantly jumped up and faced the captain again._

 _"But, sir," insisted Lucas. The captain looked irritably at him._

 _"Lucas, go to your quarters." Lucas looked confused and continued to try and convince the captain to listen to what he was saying. The captain looked more agitated and annoyed as Lucas continued his persistence. All at once, the captain turned to Clemens and shouted orders. "Chief Clemens, escort Lucas to his room." Lucas' eyes widened in fear and trepidation as Clemens approached him portentously. Clemens strode over wrapping his hands around Lucas' neck strangling him with amusement in his eyes. Lucas screamed._

The scream echoed inside the Stinger waking Lucas up instantly. Lucas blinked his eyes a few times and attempted to remember where he was. He rubbed his face with his hands trying to clear his head. Why did his dreams continue to assault him? He had confided in Captain Bridger. The dreams were supposed to stop now. What else did he have to do to make them dissipate? How much longer would he continue to be strangled in his dreams? A loud knocking notice startled him, and he turned to see where it was coming from. Lucas smiled slightly when he saw Nick's face peering in at him. Lucas motioned for Nick to back up as he raised the top on the Stinger. The cool air drifted in, and Lucas shivered realizing his shirt was wet with perspiration. His dream had left him in a pool of sweat again. Once they had sneaked onto SeaQuest, he'd need to find his way to his room so he could change.

"Are you okay, Lucas?" said Nick, noticing Lucas damp hair and pale face. Lucas nodded and wiped his face with the back of his sleeve.

"I'm fine. C'mon, let's go." Nick nodded and followed Lucas as he ran towards the dock.

Nick watched in awe as Lucas managed to slip past the strict security guards with ease. He showed them the security badge, and not one of them asked any questions. They all knew Lucas and seemed perfectly at ease letting him onboard SeaQuest. Nick couldn't believe how easy it was despite how heavy the security was surrounding the boat. Once on board, Nick followed Lucas to his room. Neither boy said a word as they walked. Both seemed lost in their own thoughts. Lucas pulled off his damp shirt and pulled on a dry one. He sat down on his bunk and motioned Nick to sit as well. Nick sat back and looked round the room with interest.

"This is your room, man? Dude, it's a freakin broom closet with ducts," commented Nick with a laugh. Nick noticed the aqua duct behind Lucas and pointed at it. "What's with the water INSIDE the sub?"

"Darwin has access to the whole ship. He can swim anywhere he wants. Most of the time, he tends to hang out right there watching me," laughed Lucas. "It's not that bad, Nick, besides everyone else but a few senior staff have to share quarters. I'm thankful for this broom closet." Nick nodded with skepticism written on his face. Lucas rested his head on the wall behind him and brought his knees up to his chest. Just then Nick's cell rang.

"Probably my dad, one sec," said Nick, pulling the phone out of his jacket and glancing at the number. The colour in his face drained when he glanced down.

"Mycroft!"

"Don't answer it!"

"Lucas, he's not going away. Let's just deal with this now and be done with it, alright?" Lucas sat forward shaking his head. Nick ignored his friend and answered the ringing cell. "What do you want?" he demanded.

Lucas watched Nick's face as he listened. His friend's face was pale, and he didn't say a word. Lucas couldn't hear what was being said, but the look of terror on Nick's face spoke volumes. Nick looked at Lucas with his eyes wide. He mouthed something to Lucas, but Lucas couldn't make it out. Nick put his finger on the mouth piece and stared at Lucas momentarily.

"Julianna," Nick muttered almost in a whisper. Lucas frowned and felt his pulse speed up. What did she have to do with Mycroft?

"What about her?" demanded Lucas.

"He's got Julianna." Lucas' eyes widened, and he grabbed the phone from Nick passionately.

"Where's Julianna?" Lucas demanded.

"Lucas, my friend. What a pleasure! Nick hadn't mentioned you were together. This is very handy indeed. Want to say hello to someone?" Lucas listened as he heard muffled voices on the other end of the line.

"L-Lucas?" stammered a soft, frightened voice.

"Julianna? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Lucas felt his heart racing in his chest as he heard Julianna softly sniffling on the other end of the phone. Lucas could tell by the sound on her wavering voice that she was frightened.

"She's fine, Lucas. I assure you. I just want to talk, and Julianna was my insurance that you would."

"Damn it, Clemens! What do you want?"

"The UEO is breathing down my neck, kid. I need to know what you said to them! We had a deal! I kept my end. What the hell are you doing?"

"You almost killed me…"

"What did you tell them?" hissed Clemens, losing patience.

"Nothing! I told them nothing," insisted Lucas.

"Where are you?" demanded Mycroft. Lucas listened as he heard Julianna crying in the background. His heart was aching for her. He didn't trust that Mycroft wouldn't hurt her or worse.

"Don't hurt her," pleaded Lucas, blinking hard to keep his own tears from falling.

"Where are you?" he repeated. Lucas heard Julianna scream. Lucas felt his heart racing in his chest. He cringed when he heard her cry out his name.

"Please, Mycroft, don't hurt her," begged Lucas. "I'm on SeaQuest. It's dry docked at Port Everglades." Lucas heard the phone click as the man hung up. Lucas looked at Nick. His mouth was dry. His hands were cold with fear.

"He's coming to SeaQuest." muttered Lucas. Nick put his head in his hands miserably. Lucas leaned against the wall of his room hardly able to breathe. He had no idea what to do next.

 _ **Nathan's Island**_

Nathan watched as Jonathan landed the helicopter on the beach. He ducked his head and shielded his eyes from the blowing sand as he ran to the side door and climbed in. He nodded a greeting to the commander and put on his headphones.

"Thanks, Jonathan." Jonathan nodded and proceeded to take the helicopter back up. Once in flight, he glanced over at the captain.

"Are you okay, Captain?"

"I'm fine, Commander."

"Any ideas where he is?"

"SeaQuest," stated Nathan with a pained look on his face. Jonathan looked confused but nodded, not knowing what to say. He set a course for Port Everglades. It appeared that time was of the essence. Jonathan could sense the urgency in the captain's demeanor.

Nathan sighed and scratched his five o'clock shadowed chin leaning his head back against the chair. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. It just wasn't like Lucas to be so rebellious. Parenting was hard work. Teenagers were a difficult group to understand. How long was it going to take to get Lucas to really share his heart? He had barely scratched the surface of what was bothering him. Lately, the kid looked haunted and exhausted most of the time. It was difficult to help when Lucas kept shutting everyone out. Hell, even the kid's relationship with his father was complicated. Lawrence Wolenczak was an intelligent man but a complete failure as a father. Nathan knew he had made his own share of mistakes when his son was a kid, but Robert always knew he would be there if he needed him. Ben had told him once that Robert had said that any kid would be lucky to have a father like Nathan. Nathan knew he wasn't Lucas' dad, but he was a hell of a lot closer to it than Wolenczak. Nathan loved the kid and cared how he turned out.

"He's been through a lot, Captain," stated Jonathan, trying to alleviate some of the tension in the air. Nathan nodded.

"I know," acknowledged Nathan. "The kid's been through hell. I just wish he'd let me help him. Damn fool kid! He's not alone anymore."

"Lucas is a tough kid, Captain. He's been taking care of himself for years. I think it's hard for him to let people in."

"I could wring his father's neck. I know, not very professional of

me, considering Lucas' recent injuries. Lucas is so damned unpredictable lately." Jonathan nodded in agreement.

"I can't disagree," admitted Jonathan. "I've had little patience for Lucas recently. He's been irritating as hell!"

"Yeah, I get that. Jonathan, do you think I'm too easy on him?" asked Nathan unexpectedly. "Bill once said that he plays me like a drum. It sits in the back of my mind sometimes." Jonathan smirked slightly and glanced at the captain.

"You're asking me if I think you're too easy on him?" chuckled Jonathan. Nathan shook his head and laughed as well. He was definitely asking the wrong man.

"Never mind, Commander, I lost my head for a moment."

"I imagine that you were a damned good father, sir," commented Jonathan staring at out the window. Nathan glanced at him and smiled. He would take that as a compliment.

"Thanks." Nathan glanced out the window and noticed that it was getting dark outside. He felt his pulse speed up as he anticipated reaching the Glades. "This thing go any faster, Commander?" Jonathan nodded and picked up speed.

 _ **SeaQuest in dry Dock—Port Everglades**_

Lucas walked out the main shuttle docking doors and headed towards the main access gate. Nick had remained behind to set up an area in the Ward room for them to talk when Clemens arrived. Lucas rubbed the back of his neck to ease the tension. He didn't know what he should do. There was so many military staff around the dock. So many people who could help if he could only think of a way to get a message out without alerting the whole base. Lucas proceeded towards the main entrance lost in thought. He looked up and was surprised to see Miguel Ortiz striding across the pavement.

"Hey, Miguel!" called Lucas, trying to get his attention. Ortiz looked up in confusion when he saw Lucas. He walked up to Lucas and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Lucas, I'm surprised to see you. I thought you were with the captain on his Caribbean island."

"Uh, yah, I was. Um, I sorta gave him the slip and took the Stinger," admitted Lucas, looking at his shoes guiltily. Ortiz looked at Lucas in concern.

"Is everything ok? Did you two have a fight?" Lucas shook his head quickly, holding up his hand.

"No, no, nothing like that. I, uh, just," began Lucas. Miguel looked at Lucas closely trying to discern what the teen was trying to convey. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something wasn't right. "Just wanted to have some fun with my friends is all. Captain Bridger will probably ground me for a month when I get back," joked Lucas, trying hard to lighten the mood. "I, uh, also took his security clearance badge. I invited some friends on SeaQuest." Miguel's eyes rose in surprise and he whistled.

"Whoa, Lucas, you DO have a death wish. The Captain is going to skin you alive," responded Miguel, still feeling ill at ease. Lucas was acting strange. Nervous and fidgety. Sort of like a caged animal before a storm. Miguel knew it wasn't his presence that was causing the kid to act odd. Lucas knew that none of the crew would rat him out to the Captain unless he was doing something dangerous. Something else was wrong. Lucas chuckled and kicked at the ground nervously.

"Yah, yah, he's going to tear a strip out of me for sure. But, uh, it'll be worth it. Julianna is coming. Why are you here?"

"Oh, I forgot something in my quarters, but the security is so heavy here that they won't let me back on board," answered Miguel.

"Want me to get it for you?"

"No, that's okay. I don't want to interrupt your time with your friends. Lucas, I sure hope you know what you're doing and that it's worth it," admonished Miguel patting the kid on the shoulder. Lucas nodded slowly.

"I hope so too. Uh, Miguel, remember the time on shore leave when you and Tim saw me sneak into that bar? Remember how upset the Captain was that you didn't tell him what I was doing," Miguel furrowed his brow in puzzlement. He had no idea what Lucas was talking about. Tim and he had never seen Lucas sneak into bar. What the hell was the kid talking about? Voices ahead of them captured Lucas' attention. "Uh, I need to go. I need to show this badge to Sinclair. Uh, enjoy the rest of your shore leave." Lucas gave Miguel one last odd look and took off. Miguel watched as Lucas took off towards the main entrance. Had Lucas just told him to rat him out to the Captain? Miguel had never seen Lucas act so peculiar in all the time he'd known the kid. An unsettled feeling sat in the pit of his gut. Maybe he ought to give the Captain a call just to feel things out a little. He didn't have to completely rat the kid out, but it wouldn't hurt to check in with the Cap.

Lucas picked up speed as he heard Sinclair question Clemens and Julianna. Clemens was explaining his presence, and Julianna remained quiet. Lucas ran up out of breath. Julianna managed to smile when she saw Lucas, and he returned the smile. Clemens appeared calm and friendly.

"They're with me, Sinclair, uh, I mean with Captain Bridger," puffed Lucas showing the security clearance badge.

"Bridger is here? I haven't seen him," commented the officer skeptically. Lucas smiled and shrugged.

"Martin is an old friend of his. The Captain invited him to see his boat while we're docked here," explained Lucas, rather convincingly.

"I see. What about the girl"

"She's here to see me," winked Lucas. Officer Sinclair chuckled and clapped the teen on the back.

"Alright, Lucas. Be sure to tell Bridger to check in with security when he leaves. Technically, no one is supposed to be aboard SeaQuest in dry dock."

"Captain Bridger is SeaQuest." The officer smirked and nodded.

"I know, kid, but even God has to play by the rules." Lucas feigned a hearty laugh and watched as Sinclair walked away. He turned to face Clemens fearfully. A rush of memories flashed in his mind. He could still feel Clemens hands around his neck. Lucas fought to hold back the paralysing terror that he felt deep inside.

Clemens flashed the pistol in his pocket and smiled menacingly. He pointed the way to the SeaQuest.

"Shall we?" Clemens grabbed Julianna's arm roughly and started towards the entrance. Julianna's eyes pleaded with Lucas.

"Can't you let her go, Clemens? You don't need her anymore," implored Lucas, hoping the man would listen to reason. Clemens stopped and glared at Lucas.

"Look, kid. I never asked for any of this hassle. She stays until we're all on the same page. Got it? Now, let's go!"


	9. Chapter 9

_**Somewhere Over the Straight of Florida**_

Nathan was startled when his cell phone rang loudly, amazed he had any service. The last time he'd looked, he'd had none. He had attempted to contact Kristin again but had no luck. He made a mental note to switch providers. His service lately, even on island had been terrible. He removed his headphones to answer the call.

"Bridger." Nathan was surprised to hear the voice of Miguel Ortiz.

"Hi, Cap, uh, you didn't happen to notice that Lucas was missing did you?" replied Miguel carefully. He felt horrible being the one ratting out the kid. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about Lucas nor could he figure out Lucas' last comment about the bar thing. It was almost like Lucas was giving him permission to rat on him. Still, Miguel hated being a tattle tale.

"You saw him?" asked Nathan, relief in his voice.

"I feel like I'm snitching on my little brother," began Miguel hesitantly.

"It's ok, Miguel," sympathized Nathan. He was well aware that most of his crew did a good job protecting Lucas. Somehow they all managed to keep most of the boy's shenanigans under wraps. Nathan wasn't blind to how often one of them covered up for the kid. In some ways, he found it endearing. They had adopted Lucas like a kid brother. They made sure he had fun but stayed safe. Having the youngster on SeaQuest had turned the crew into a family of sorts. Most of the time, it was a nice feeling.

"He's on SeaQuest, Captain. He said he was just hanging with some friends. But, I can't explain it. Something is just off. He sort of gave me the impression that he wanted me to call you," explained Miguel, struggling to clarify what he felt. Nathan scratched his head thoughtfully. "I'd check on him, sir, but security is so tight. They wouldn't even let me back onboard."

"Understandably. Uh, Miguel, I hate to ask you this, but is there any way you can sneak aboard?"

"Sir,"

"It's not an order. It's a favour," assured Nathan quickly. He'd never order one of his crew to do something he wouldn't do himself if he could.

"Understood. I have a few ideas up my sleeve. Anything you want me to do when I find him?" inquired Ortiz.

"Just check to make sure he's okay. I'm on my way. I owe you one," answered Nathan, feeling helpless and far away.

"No problem, sir." With that, Miguel ended the call and headed towards security. He had some good ideas, and one of them was sure to get him back onboard SeaQuest. He chuckled to himself. He never thought he'd find himself sneaking onto the submarine. He often envisioned himself escaping it when things were tense. Life had a way of playing tricks on you.

Nathan dropped his hand to his lap. He felt some relief to know that one of his crew was close by Lucas. The teen liked Ortiz and trusted him. In some ways, it was easier to own up to something when it wasn't someone in authority over you. Nathan glanced at Jonathan who seemed to be waiting patiently for an explanation.

"Lucas is on SeaQuest." Jonathan looked visibly relieved as well. At least they weren't running blind now. His hunch had been correct. If they only knew why Lucas was there. Nathan found it hard to believe that the teen would just blatantly take off without some logical reason. It wasn't like Lucas to do stuff like that. The kid had a college degree, for crying out loud. He might have been 15 years old, but he wasn't a rebel without a cause. Nathan willed the helicopter to speed up. He didn't know how much longer he could sit and wait.

 _ **Ward Room**_

 _ **Aboard SeaQuest**_

Martin locked the door behind him and shoved Julianna into a chair. He looked around the room in approval. The room must have be some sort of senior meeting room. He envisioned Bridger and his crew making vital decisions in the room. He noticed Nick standing on the other side of the table looking uncertain. Martin enjoyed the feeling of surprise. He didn't want to hurt the kids. He just wanted to shake them up. He wanted to keep the upper hand. Once he knew what they knew, he would feel better. He already found a new group of people that he hoped to rescue from their own greed and corruption. It wasn't about money to Martin. It wasn't even about power. It really was about making things better. Why couldn't people understand that? Martin looked at Lucas who was glowering at him. It was apparent to Martin that he had really frightened the kid. He hadn't meant to lose control of himself. He made a mental note to keep his cool this time. He needed to not lose control. Nothing would be accomplished if he lost control. One death on his conscience was enough for a lifetime.

"Let her go, Mycroft," demanded Nick in anger. "Can't you see how scared she is? She didn't do anything to you." Martin spun around and glared at Nick.

"She was my guarantee. Relax, I didn't hurt her. Did I, kid?" He nudged her arm and she shook her head, blinking back tears. Lucas patted her shoulders to comfort her.

"H-He just told me to scream when he pointed at me. H- he said he would do something to make me scream," acknowledged Julianna softly. Lucas let out a puff of air, feeling relief. When he had heard her scream, it had made his skin crawl. He knew how frightened he felt still and didn't wish that fear on anyone.

"Look, what do you want?" snapped Lucas.

"I want to know what the hell is going on? You told me to disappear, and I did. Why does the UEO keep hounding me? What did you tell them?" demanded Martin, pounding his fist on the table in frustration. Lucas felt himself jump nervously. He didn't know what Captain Bridger might have informed the UEO. He couldn't be sure of anything.

"I didn't tell them anything!"

"Don't lie to me!" snapped Martin, walking closer to Lucas.

"I can't even sleep since you nearly choked me to death," mumbled Lucas bitterly, not moving as the menacing man stepped closer.

"It was a mistake, Lucas. I never meant to hurt you," groaned Martin, feeling deep remorse.

"Then just go away, damn it!" hollered Nick.

Lucas glanced at Nick across the room. He could see his friend was nervous as well as frightened. Lucas felt nearly paralysed with fear. If it wasn't for Julianna trembling and looking so vulnerable, he felt sure he would have lost his composure. He had to keep his wits about him. Julianna needed him to keep calm and not lose it. Lucas couldn't be sure what Clemens would do. The guy still had a gun on him. He had killed a man already, and Lucas felt sure the man had nothing left to lose.

"I had to say something. Clemens. How did you expect me to hide that you choked me?" retorted Lucas, swallowing hard.

"You're a smart kid, Lucas. I knew you'd think of something."

"Well, you're wrong. Captain Bridger isn't an idiot. He figured it out." Clemens cursed loudly and pointed his gun at the back of Julianna's head ominously.

"What did you say, kid? Tell me, NOW!" shouted Clemens. Lucas stood up bravely. He stared at the gun feeling helpless.

"Bridger figured it out himself. I just filled in the blanks," insisted Lucas wide eyed. Clemens swore again and tightened his grip on Julianna. Lucas felt a mixture of anger and fear.

"Tell me exactly!" shouted Clemens, shoving the tip of the pistol into Julianna's head. Lucas held up his hands.

"Alright, take it easy. I told him I shut down the Node…"

"Did you tell him we broke into the World Bank?" Lucas nodded hesitantly. Clemens groaned. "Son of a…" A loud noise from outside the Ward room door made them all jump and stare at the door. "I thought you said this boat was empty," snapped Clemens angrily. He stalked towards Lucas grabbing his arm roughly and twisting it behind his back. He poked the revolver against the boys head menacingly.

"It is! No one can get onboard without security clearance," insisted Lucas, just as surprised by the interruption. Nick made a move to help Lucas, but Clemens pointed the gun at him.

"Don't be a hero, Wolfman," warned Clemens dangerously. Nick sat down at the table across from Julianna in defeat.

"L-let me go look. Maybe it's just a technician or something," suggested Lucas cautiously. Clemens shoved Lucas harshly away pointing the gun back and forth between Nick and Lucas. Lucas struggled to keep his footing. He rubbed his arm.

"No, Nick can look. Don't get any ideas, or your friends will pay the price," threatened Clemens, pointing to Nick and then the door. "GO!" Nick stood up and silently unlocked the door and slipped out.

Nick looked around the corridor. He had no idea where to look. All the corridor's looked the same. Just grey metal walls. He walked slowly down the hall to the first set of stairs. He called out a few times to ask if anyone was there. He also felt frightened of getting caught by a security guard. He had no idea how to explain how he was on SeaQuest. He wasn't even sure if he could find his way back to the Ward room. The submarine felt like a maze to him.

"Psst, kid!" whispered a voice from a side room. Nick whirled around to see a dark-haired man that appeared to be Cuban peering out at him. Nick felt his heart in his throat. He wasn't sure who the man was, and he felt frozen in fear. "Kid, it's ok. I'm a friend of Lucas'" Nick nodded and walked towards the man. The man grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room closing the door.

Clemens paced round the room trying to figure out his next move. No one could hide from the UEO anywhere. He would need to go under to another colony. He frowned angrily at Lucas in annoyance. The new community he had found was promising. They were remorseful and ready to make amends for their greed. Clemens felt hopeful. Now he'd have to start again. He sighed in irritation. What was taking that kid so long to look around?

"He probably got lost," mumbled Lucas, guessing what Clemens was thinking. "SeaQuest can be like a maze if you don't know where you're going. Every deck looks the same. All the doors are locked so he could wander for hours and not find his way out." Clemens cursed loudly causing Julianna to jump.

"To hell with him, I don't need him anyways. I need to know what the UEO knows," demanded Clemens, glaring at Lucas. Lucas shrugged.

"I don't know," insisted Lucas. Clemens groaned again and walked up to Lucas shaking his fist in his face.

"I don't want to hurt you, kid." Lucas' eyes widen and he took a step back. Everything felt surreal. All the dreams that he'd had were flooding in on him. He felt his knees go weak. His stomach was flip-flopping. The only thing that was keeping him together was Julianna's presence. Oddly enough, her look of terror was keeping him from losing his equilibrium.

"They want me to make a statement. I won't. I'll refuse," stammered Lucas. "They can't force me to talk." Clemens tapped the gun on Lucas' chest threateningly.

"Why don't I believe you?" he retorted crossly. Lucas took a few steps backwards and found his back against the wall. His stomach dropped to his feet. Just like in his dreams, his back was always to the wall with no escape. He took a quick look at Julianna who stared at him wide eyed and silent. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. Lucas wasn't sure what Clemens had done to her before he had brought her to SeaQuest. Julianna hadn't spoken much. It appeared like she was in shock. Lucas had to make some sort of move. He had to do something. Somehow, he had to get the gun away from Clemens. Clemens was a lose wire. Lucas couldn't tell when the man would blow his top.

"Bridger won't force me. They can't force me to make a statement. I'm a minor," insisted Lucas. Clemens turned and walked towards the table where Julianna sat trembling. Lucas felt his nerves relax a bit when Clemens walked away. He glanced around the room seeing what he had at his disposal. A buffet table was fully stocked with glasses and plates. He slid himself slowly towards the buffet. He kept his eyes on Clemens but his back to the buffet. Slowly he gripped a glass in his hand. If he could get one good shot in, the glass might knock the man out long enough to escape.

"Don't fool yourself, kid. Bridger coddles you. That's not the real world. They can force you to do whatever they want. You're a UEO puppet. Don't you see that?" blurted Clements tapping the pistol on the table firmly. Lucas frowned.

"You're wrong, Clemens. I'm not just someone to be controlled. I earn my way." Clemens chuckled at the remark. The kid was cocky, and he admired that.

"It's such a waste you are here, Lucas. You have the most incredible mind. It's such a mystery to me that they can't comprehend what a treasure you are. And if they do, it's a crime that they don't help you reach your full potential." Lucas was momentarily chuffed by the words. There were times he wished people could see his true potential and look past his youth.

"They take care of me," Lucas insisted quietly.

"They smother you," countered Clemens. "I've seen the projects you've been doing. They are simply awe inspiring." Lucas squinted at Clemens in confusion. How could Clemens know the projects he was working on? Most were highly classified, and many he hadn't even shared with Captain Bridger yet. Clemens noticed the look of shock on the kid's face and smirked.

"Lucas, you forget, I'm a hacker. It's what we do. As you well know, nothing is as exciting."

"That doesn't give you a right to spy on me!' retorted Lucas, fingering the glass in his hand and embracing the anger building within him. Clemens continued smirking at him and pacing across the floor.

"Don't worry; I haven't been able to see the more complex stuff you've been working on. You're much too good at keeping things under wrap. It's any wonder Bridger can even keep up with you. You're brilliant, kid," approved Clemens. Lucas felt more anger well up inside him. He managed a brief smile at Julianna who looked up wearily.

"You could come with me, Lucas. Together, we could do so much good. You have the potential to save this sad planet." Lucas couldn't believe his ears. The man had most certainly lost his mind.

"Are you mad? Here you are again," shouted Lucas, his anger taking over his fear. He couldn't believe the insatiable desire that Clemens had to get involved where he shouldn't. "Have you no learning ability? This is the same way you were back at the Node. For crying out loud, you don't have some magic ability to save the world. It doesn't need to be rescued by you."

Clemens was becoming dreamy in his speech, almost undetached from the room as he stared into space.

"It's so damned unfair how people are treated, Lucas. Call it hacker's pride or something, but maybe that's why I lost it on you at the Node. Afraid that I wasn't the best anymore because I was defeated by a kid." Lucas screwed up his face not believing what he was hearing. Clemens was talking like a jealous middle school kid who was showed up. Since when had it become like some twisted competition of who was better at hacking.

"Since when is life fair, Mycroft? It's not. Trust me, I know. Life sucks sometimes. But you can't just meddle in people's lives." Lucas ignored the comments about being defeated. It would be a waste of energy to try and make Clemens understand. The man couldn't even understand how morally wrong it was to make such huge changes that affect people on a grand scale but only benefited a select few. Clemens suddenly snapped to reality again.

"You're just a kid; you know nothing!" he snapped. Clemens glared at Lucas and started to stalk towards him. Lucas gasped out loud. He swallowed his panic as visions of the Node flashed before his eyes. Clemens had the same look on his face. The same black rage. Lucas gripped the glass in his hand tightly and with a burst of courage, whipped it at Clemens's head.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Port Everglades**_

Nathan swore loudly as he paced in the office of the Port Everglades police department. He didn't have time for this. In his rush to find Lucas, he hadn't given much thought to his attire. He was dressed in tan shorts and a shirt and didn't look anymore military than his grandmother. He silently rebuked himself for forgetting his identification. Jonathan had all but dropped him off in the middle of a road way after illegally landing and stopping traffic. There hadn't been many places to land the chopper near the Port. Nathan had been trying to reach Bill Noyce at the UEO to no avail. The officer who had detained him was checking out his story about being Captain of the SeaQuest. The man had looked skeptical of his story. Nathan sighed in frustration. Life was so much simpler at sea. Nathan just wished they hadn't taken his phone from him. He could make his own calls much quicker than they would be able to. He was growing more and more agitated as time moved on. A white haired man entered the room and reached out his hand to greet Nathan. Nathan accepted the man's hand with a cautious smile.

"Nathan Bridger?" commented the man. He was tall in stature with a stocky build. The man obviously hadn't been to a gym in many a year. Nathan nodded briskly, letting the other man know he was not in the mood to be detained much longer.

"Captain Nathan Hale Bridger of SeaQuest, as I reiterated several times already," retorted Nathan feeling impatient. The man set his file down looking apologetic.

"Yes, of course. Forgive me, Captain Bridger. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Calvin. I'm in charge of security while SeaQuest is in dry dock. I'm sorry you've been detained, Captain. I hope you understand."

"I understand, Colonel. Am I free to go?" queried Nathan.

"Yes, yes, of course. Would you like me to arrange transport to where SeaQuest is docked?" asked the man kindly. Nathan smiled gratefully.

"I would like that very much, Colonel, thank-you," answered Nathan, relief flooding him. Finally, he would be able to find Lucas. The Colonel smiled and escorted Nathan from the room

C _ **onference Room on A-deck**_

Nick sat quietly staring at the Cuban man in front of him. The dark-haired man had put his finger to his lips indicating that he wanted Nick to remain quiet. The man listened out the door silently trying to hear the conversation in the next room. Nick tried to hear as well but to no avail. The room they were in was extremely sound proof. Likely the Wardroom was as well.

"Who are you?" Nick whispered, finally getting enough courage to speak to the other man. The man glanced at him and again put his finger to his lips hushing him. Nick stood up and went to the door. "Listen, man. I have no clue who you are. How do I know you really are a friend of Lucas'?" demanded Nick, feeling unsure and irritated at the same time. The man sighed, obviously equally annoyed. He silently shut the door but before he did, Nick noticed the sign of the door which read Conference Room 4. At least now Nick had some kind of idea where he was even if it wasn't all that helpful.

"The name's Miguel Ortiz. I'm the Sensor Chief on SeaQuest. The captain sent me here to check up on Lucas. Who is that guy?" asked Miguel, carefully searching the room for anything that might be useful to him.

"Mycroft, er, Martin Clemens. He's a hacker," explained Nick hesitantly, still unsure of the other man. "He used to oversee the Node." Ortiz turned and looked closely at Nick, remembering vaguely the black man who had been aboard SeaQuest a little over a week ago. Ortiz frowned and felt his temper flare.

"That's Clemens? Damn," he hissed, running his hands through his hair thinking about how traumatized Lucas has been been since returning from the Node. Nick startled at Ortiz's sudden anger. Ortiz noticed the teen's apparent fear and put his temper in check. "Look, kid," began Ortiz, softening his voice to calm the teen.

"Nick," stammered the anxious teen, offering his name quickly. Ortiz offered a comforting smile to the frightened kid, patting him on the shoulder.

"Ok, Nick, what does he want with Lucas?" Ortiz sat on the edge of the table. Nick shrugged his shoulders diffidently.

"He thinks Lucas ratted him out to the UEO."

"Ratted him out how?" urged Miguel. "About hurting Lucas?" He raised an eyebrow scrutinizing the kid and trying to understand.

"More than that. Hacking into the World Bank and shifting money around, I guess. Mycroft is a professional hacker." Miguel ran his hand over his face, deep in thought. He stood up, heading towards the computer and sat down. His fingers flew across the keyboard accessing files until he brought up Clemens' file. He sat reading it and massaging his temples. He turned to Nick abruptly.

"Just how dangerous do you think he is, Nick?"

"He's a lose wire. There is no telling what he will do. I was shocked as hell when he attacked Lucas at the Node. Before that he was sort of, I dunno, he was cool. I liked him. We all did." Ortiz nodded managing a small smile to reassure the lad and closed the file. He needed to get a message to someone on the outside. He couldn't be sure that Clemens wouldn't have blocked communications. Obviously the guy was smart. The advantage Ortiz had was Clemens didn't know he was onboard. Miguel felt his blood run cold when heard a high pitched screaming and a flurry of action coming from the Wardroom. He raised his hand to silent Nick, running to the door and opening it to listen. Nick held his breath, willing himself not to panic. He recognized the voice screaming as Julianna's.

 _ **Wardroom**_

Lucas pitched the glass as hard as he could, aiming at Clemens. He held his breath as he watched the glass fly in slow motiotowards the man's head. Clemens appeared shocked as he noticed the item flying at him. Just as the glass was about to hit him, he ducked narrowly avoiding it. He turned to Lucas with fury in his eyes. He rushed over and grabbed his arm, yanking it harshly behind his back and jabbed him ruthlessly in the side with his knee. Lucas cried out in pain and bent over trying to catch his breath. Julianna began screaming hysterically.

"Shut up," fumed Clemens at the frightened girl, pulling Lucas closer to him. Julianna closed her mouth and nodded, hiccupping. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Lucas tried to give her a calm look to reassure her from afar.

"As for you, that was stupid. STUPID," emphasized Clemens, tightening his grip on Lucas' arm and twisting it hard.

"Oww," gasped Lucas, struggling to free himself. The harder he struggled the tighter Clemens pulled on his arm.

"Don't make me hurt you, Lucas. I never meant for any of this to happen. I just want to get back to helping. I need a launch,"

"SeaQuest is dry docked," reminded Lucas, groaning at the pain radiating through his arm.

"How difficult is it to launch?" demanded the angry man. Lucas' mouth gaped. Was Clemens asking what he thought he was asking?

"Launch what?"

"This sub, for crying outloud."

"Are you nuts? You can't hack SeaQuest like some computer. You saw the security."

"I can't, but you can, can't you?" demanded Clemens, shaking the teenager hard and yanking on his arm.

"Please stop, Mycroft," came a soft pleading voice. Clemens whipped around to see Julianna standing and holding a chair over her head. "Let him go!" she ordered, trembling all over. She took a step and brought the chair down hard on Clemens, causing him to stumble and release of Lucas. Lucas saw the gun fall to the floor, and he dove for it. Clemens flung himself to the floor, wrestling Lucas for the gun. Lucas was no match for Clemens. The man grabbed Lucas and pulled him up, kicking him hard in the gut. Lucas lost his footing and fell backwards. When he looked up, Clemens had retrieved the gun again. He grabbed Lucas roughly, spinning him around again, pulling his arm tight behind him. He looked vehemently at Julianna and back handed her in the face angrily. The small framed girl reeled backwards smacking her head on a chair. She crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Lucas shouted out her name in horror.

"Shut up!" Clemens hissed spitefully. Lucas struggled and loosened his arm enough to elbow Clemens in the side, hard. The man's footing faltered, allowing Lucas a moment to get free, and he ran to Julianna's side. Clemens grabbed him before Lucas had time to think and pulled him to his feet viciously. He smacked Lucas harshly in the face with the back of his hand. The force of the blow sent Lucas flying to the floor, landing on his backside. Lucas glared at him.

"That was a stupid move, Lucas!"

"Says you," retorted Lucas, wiping blood off the side of his lip and glaring at Clemens bitterly. His face stung like hell. He glanced at Julianna again, but her still form didn't move. Clemens breathed hard as he towered over Lucas glowering at him.

"Stop making me hurt you." Clemens arm trembled. Lucas continued glaring at him breathing fast. Both of them seemed at a standstill, both catching their breath. Lucas knew that Clemens had the upper hand as long as he had that gun. Hell even if he didn't have the gun, he still was physically stronger than Lucas by a long shot.

"Answer me. You can launch this submarine, cant you?" Lucas glared at him trying to think of the best answer. If he said yes, he would be able to get on the bridge. Once on the bridge, he had access to a tiny arsenal, not to mention the entire mainframe of the ship. But would Captain Bridger want a hacker of Clemens background on his bridge? Somehow he highly doubted it. No, he needed to keep Clemens off the bridge at all costs.

"No, I don't have that power," lied Lucas, maintaining his eye contact trying to look confident. Clemens stared at him skeptically.

"You're lying!" he accused fervently. He pulled Lucas to his feet and wrapped his hands around his throat menacingly. Lucas felt his heart race in horror and shut his eyes. He blinked back tears as all his fears from before raced to his mind at once. He could feel his stomach lurch, and he desperately clawed at Clemens hands.

"Please, don't" begged Lucas desperately. Clemens smirked and pushed the kid away. Lucas stumbled and regained his footing. He stared at Clemens in disbelief. He could hear his heart thumping in his ears, and nausea overwhelmed him. He leaned over and vomited on the carpet. He heaved and heaved until he fell to his knees weakly. He was trembling all over and could hardly see through the tears in his eyes. Clemens grimaced in disgust.

"Stand up," ordered Clemens. "Take me to the bridge, and get this sub in the water NOW!" Lucas looked up at him and attempted to stand, stumbling and landing in his own vomit. Clemens grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pulled him to his feet roughly. He shoved him towards the door. Lucas glanced at Julianna's still form hesitantly. Clemens shoved him again. "She's not going anywhere, now GO!" Lucas stumbled again and fell against the door whacking his head. Lucas tried to catch his breath, wiping sweat off his forehead.

"Don't you get it? I'm trying to achieve peace, Lucas. For everyone."

"You're a hypocrite," quivered Lucas.

"Shut up and move!" Clemens threw open the door and shoved Lucas out into the corridor. Lucas stumbled and worked hard to correct his footing. He didn't know what to do.

 _ **Launch bay**_

Nathan entered SeaQuest and hurried down the steps. He resisted the urge to call out Lucas' name, not knowing what he would find. He didn't know if he would find a wild teen party or a simple card game. He didn't know if he should be angry or sympathetic towards the boy. Nathan walked briskly, heading towards Lucas' room. He figured it would be the best place to start looking for him. A feeling in the pit of his stomach urged him to walk quicker. He jogged down the stairs and entered B-deck and found his way to Lucas room. He glanced at the door that read Mammal Engineering and entered without knocking. Under the circumstances, he figured he had the right to barge in unannounced. The room was vacant. Nathan looked around the unkempt room. It was unusual to see the room in disarray. Lucas was a typical teenager. Sloppy and messy was his usual style. Nathan noticed a red shirt on the floor and stooped to pick it up. It was still damp which meant Lucas had been here recently. It also vaguely smelled of sweat. Another night terror maybe? Nathan furrowed his brow in concern. He dropped the shirt on the bed and began to comb the ship.

 _ **Conference Room**_

Miguel watched as Lucas was shoved down the corridor fiercely by Clemens. The man kept prodding him with the pistol in his hand. Ortiz ducked behind the door so he wouldn't be seen. He glanced back at the frightened teen behind him. The kid looked paralysed with fear. Ortiz grabbed the boy and shook him firmly.

"Listen to me, Nick," began Ortiz looking intently at the scared kid. Nick appeared to be staring into space. "Hey, are you listening?" Nick nodded quickly, trembling. "Look, Clemens has Lucas at gunpoint. I need you to stay here and lock the door, Nick. Don't open it for anyone until I come back. Understand?"

"What about Julianna?" he stammered. Ortiz frowned in puzzlement.

"Who's Julianna?"

"Well, kinda Lucas' girlfriend, I suppose. Mycroft brought her as bait I think so that Lucas would come." Ortiz groaned and shook his head. He vaguely remembered Lucas mentioning a girl. He hadn't remembered her until now.

"Dammit," he muttered more to himself than to Nick. "Okay, new plan, go to the Ward room and lock yourself in there with the girl. I haven't heard her, so I'm not sure what you'll find. Whatever you do, don't draw attention to yourself! Got it?" Nick nodded solemnly. He swallowed hard and prayed that Julianna was okay. He wasn't sure he could handle finding her injured or even dead.

"What if she's hurt?"

"You're a clever kid, Nick. I have faith you can handle it. I'm counting on you to handle it." Nick nodded, managing a brave smile at the words.

"Okay when I give you the signal, get your butt to the Wardroom and lock it." Ortiz moved to the door and squatted down low, opening the door. The hallway was deserted, so he motioned Nick to run across the corridor and into the wardroom. The teenager obeyed, closing the door silently behind him. Ortiz heard the door click as it locked securely. He breathed a sigh of relief. One kid safe. Now to find Lucas.

Nathan leaned against the wall in frustration. He had checked most of the places he thought Lucas would be to no avail. He was growing more anxious as time went on. He proceeded to walk to up the stairs to A-deck. He couldn't take the Mag-lev because most of SeaQuest's operating systems were locked down. It wasn't necessary to have them in operation when the boat was in dry dock. Nathan attempted to catch his breath as he reached the upper deck on the ship. He was hoping Lucas wasn't using any of the commanding areas to host friends. He would need to be very severe with the teen if he had chosen to have such frivolous disregard for the security of SeaQuest. Nathan strode to the Wardroom first and tried the door. It was locked securely. Nathan breathed a sigh of relief and entered the code to open the door. He walked in and gasped when he saw Nick and Julianna staring at him.

"What the hell?" Nathan stared sternly at the two teens gaping at him, placing his hands on his hips. "Nick, what are you doing on my boat?" demanded Nathan brusquely. Nathan softened when he saw Julianna's split lip and bruised cheek. The frightened girl's lip trembled as she attempted to speak.

"Mycroft," was all she said before hiding her face in her hands and sobbing. Nathan felt his anger dissipate as he walked over to the weeping girl, embracing her kindly. She melted into his embrace, clinging to him for safety.

"Talk to me, Nick!" commanded Nathan, glancing at the boy sternly. Nick swallowed pitifully.

"Clemens has Lucas. Your sensor chief went after them," Nick stammered, his voice wavering.

"Mr. Ortiz?" Nick nodded. Nathan held Julianna, comforting her as best he could as her sobs quieted. He formed a plan in his mind as he stood still. Nick stared at the older man in admiration. Lucas had said Captain Bridger was an amazing man. Nick believed that with all his heart. Somehow everything would be okay now. It had to be.


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Happy New Year. I wanted to quickly add another chapter before I run off to ring in the new year with my family. It's a little shorter. I didn't have time to edit it as well so I hope you can forgive the SPAG. Plenty more to come. Thanks for all the reviews. I'm sorry if I haven't personally responded to you. I cant access all your reviews yet. I can only see 8 reviews but the count says 15. Honestly, I'm very honoured that you are reading along. I hope you are enjoying reading it. HAPPY NEW YEAR and GOD BLESS! (Updated at 11:30pm...fixed a few of my mistakes)**_

 _ **Wardroom**_

 _ **SeaQuest**_

Nathan grimaced at the stench permeating the room. Vomit splattered the carpet and the wall by the door. He had narrowly managed to miss stepping in it. Neither teen appeared to know where it had come from. Nathan's stomach lurched both from the smell and his suspicions that it belonged to Lucas. What had Clemens done to him? He quickly assessed the injuries of the teenagers. Julianna's face was badly bruised, and she had a large lump on the back of her head. Nick had managed to help stop the bleeding of the girl's split lip. Nick proceeded to explain all he knew about events leading up to Lucas and him coming aboard SeaQuest. Julianna calmed down enough to share how Clemens had grabbed her, forcing her to go with him. Nathan attempted to make a call but cursed his phone when he saw he had no service again. He hesitated to use the computer for fear Clemens had rigged something to warn him. Clemens knew Lucas was smart, and he would have done what he could to prevent the kid from getting a message out. Nathan felt some comfort knowing Ortiz was onboard. Chief Ortiz had a great deal of ingenuity.

"Listen you two. Once I leave this room, I want you to lock this door. Do not open it for anyone. Understand?" commanded the captain sternly. Both teens nodded compliantly. Neither one of them wished to do anything to get in the way. "Nick, that door in the back is a restroom. Find what you need to help make that stench bearable." Nick nodded solemnly.

"Please find him, Captain Bridger," murmured Julianna, blinking back more tears. Nathan patted her cheek tenderly.

"I will, Julianna," assured Nathan, managing a confident smile. Nathan carefully opened the door, peered out into the hallway cautiously and left the room. Nick looked at Julianna nervously before locking the door. Julianna hid her face in her hands trying not to collapse in tears again. Nick walked over and put a hand on her shoulder.

It's gonna be ok, Julianna," whispered Nick, hoping his words would convince himself as well as the girl. "C'mon, let's try to get rid of that stink."

 _ **Hallway on A-deck**_

"Where is the bridge?" snapped Clemens, growing impatient of wandering up and down corridors. The boat seemed massive in size and every corridor looked exactly the same as the next.

"We need to take the mag-lev," replied Lucas."But it's not operational currently. I need to activate it." Clemens squinted at him with uncertainty.

"What is it?"

"It's an elevator of sorts, only it runs horizontally." Clemens looked skeptical. He had very little knowledge of SeaQuest's designs. He had tried his damnedest to hack into it, but it was worse than Fort Knots. The best he had been able to do was hack private UEO codes to send a message to SeaQuest which got him Lucas in the first place. Clemens shoved Lucas against the wall of the sub harshly, putting his hand around his throat. Lucas' eyes widened fearfully as he glared at the large black man.

"Are you telling me the truth?" he demanded. Lucas blinked back tears frantically clawing at his throat. "I swear to God if you are lying to me, I will snap your neck like a twig," hissed Clemens menacingly. He slowly released his grip, and Lucas gasped for air. "Activate it!" he ordered pulling Lucas away from the wall and shoving him forward. Lucas stumbled losing his footing and fell hard to the floor of the sub. His eyes caught a glimpse of something around the corner. He took a double look, taking his time to stand. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Ortiz. The man put his finger to his lips.

"Get up!" shouted Clemens pulling him up by the scruff of his shirt. Lucas glanced again, and Ortiz was gone. He wasn't even sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him. He shook his head to clear it and looked at the doors around him. He needed a computer, but he wasn't sure which room he could access. Most of the rooms where high security clearance rooms with pass codes he didn't know. Generally, he only entered rooms with the crew. He didn't have the security clearance of the senior crew. He kept walking until he saw Conference Room One. He tried the door with Clemens shoving him from behind. The room was locked. He tried several codes but none of them worked.

"Stop shoving me already! I don't know the codes to every friggen room on this boat you know!" snapped Lucas, pulling at his arm to free himself. Clemens groaned and shoved him towards the next door.

"Try this one!" he demanded. Lucas tried it with no luck. He was searching his head, trying to think of a place that he could access the main computer. Suddenly, he remembered that Captain Bridger had full access to the computer in his quarters, and Lucas had his security badge still. All he would have to do is insert the card into the computer, and it would think he was Captain Bridger. Lucas knew the access code to Captain Bridger's room. The captain had given it to him a long time ago so he could find a private place to be alone. None of the crew knew that when he disappeared, he was often taking refuge there.

"I know one computer I can access on this deck." Clemens glowered at him but remained quiet. Lucas began making his way down the corridor. Clemens again felt like he was walking a maze following the kid. Every hallway resembled the next. He hated being at the mercy of the annoying teenager, but he had no choice but to follow.

 _ **Hallway on A-deck**_

Miguel crouched low around the corner following Lucas as best as possible without being seen. He was trying to speculate what the kid was thinking. He knew Lucas had briefly caught a glimpse of him, but Miguel could tell the teen was terrified and not thinking clearly. Faintly in the distance, he could hear footsteps. They were very faint, but Miguel knew they were there. Someone else was coming up behind him. His military training had taught him to be extremely astute. He had to constantly aware of everything in his surroundings. He knew where he had left Nick and Julianna, and he swore if they had disobeyed him, he would cuff both of them. He didn't care about ethics at the moment. Ortiz continued listening, not daring to move a muscle. He needed to be sure what he was dealing with before he could continue after Lucas. He made himself as small as possible and held his breath as the footsteps grew closer. The person was alone and exceptionally quiet which told him it wasn't one of teenagers. Miguel felt his heartbeat in his own ears as he waited vigilantly, his body tense in expectation. He was unarmed and felt defenceless. He leaned his head back as much as possible and held his breath as the person rounded the corridor. He risked a glimpse and stifled a gasp when he saw Captain Bridger enter the corridor with caution.

Nathan startled slightly seeing his sensor chief crouched on the floor defensively. Ortiz rose to his feet quickly and nodded at him. Nathan clapped him on the back, greeting him.

"Seen Lucas?" whispered Nathan.

"Clemens has him at gunpoint. Lucas led him right down the corridor. He's trying to get access to a computer to activate the mag-lev. Clemens wants on the bridge for some reason."

"Lucas can't activate the mag-lev from just any computer. He doesn't have clearance," commented Nathan, trying to figure out what Lucas would do. He was a smart, resourceful kid to say the least, but Nathan had no idea what the kid was thinking. He wasn't even sure of Lucas was thinking straight or if he was hurt.

"Was he hurt?"

"He looked pretty rough. Cap. Clemens wasn't being gentle. Lucas was giving him a hard time," replied Ortiz, remembering Lucas' split lip and bruised face. Nathan smirked slightly. Lucas wasn't one to back down from anyone. He was a tough kid. Even if he was scared, he still would put up a fight if he could.

"Okay, let's split up. You move towards the Bridge. Lucas must have Clemens believing he can only access it by the mag-lev. Get inside and lock it down. Code Alpha 62 niner Beta 428." Ortiz raised an eyebrow in bewilderment at the code. He'd never heard that code used before not even at the academy.

"Captain," questioned Ortiz.

"Just do it, Mr Ortiz. Don't try to access anyone on the outside. I can't be sure that Clemens hasn't hacked it, and I don't want him thinking Lucas is doing it. I'm gonna access the computer in my ready room. I can get a secure transmission out from there." Nathan pulled two PALs from his pocket and a side arm. He handed Ortiz the weapon and a PAL. Ortiz nodded and took off stealthily down the corridor.

 _ **Bridger's Quarters**_

Lucas inputted the code to open the Captains quarters and entered the room. He felt his knees go weak when he was hit with the familiar scent of the captain. Clemens shut the door behind them surveying the room.

"Captains quarters huh?" He shook his head in amusement. He kept the gun on Lucas as he walked around the room picking various items up curiously. Lucas scowled at the invasion but walked to the computer. He inserted Captain Bridger's security card in the computer and typed in the circuitry ID number. Instantly the hologram of Professor Martinson appeared. Clemens jumped back, startled by the image the older man.

"What can I do for you, Lucas," replied the image, apparently recognising the teen. Clemens walked forward waving his hand through the hologram in awe.

"What the hell is that?" he asked, nearly forgetting he had a gun pointed at Lucas.

"It's a program Captain Bridger created."

"What's it for?" demanded Clemens. Lucas stubbornly remained quiet, refusing to divulge anything. Clemens pointed the gun at his head harshly, his hand trembling.

"I said, what's it for?" Lucas groaned, swallowing nervously.

"I-It was created to be a sounding board for the captain in times of moral or ethical dilemma. It also can control certain aspects of the main computer," stammered Lucas, staring at the hologram.

"Incredible," whispered Clemens, in awe of the impressive program. He caught himself staring and pointed the gun at it impatiently. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get that elevator thing working." Lucas cringed outwardly in spite of himself and began typing codes into the computer.

"Can you activate Mag-lev while in dry dock?" asked Lucas.

"Yes, I can," stated the hologram.

"Ok, do it. Activate it with access to the bridge."

"The bridge is locked down. Access code required." Lucas narrowed his eyes, perplexed at the response. He should have been able to access the bridge from this computer.

"What's the code?" inquired Lucas.

"I cannot process the code," came the reply from the hologram. Lucas frowned in confusion. Clemens glared at him. Lucas shrugged, inputting more codes.

"Activate the bridge," Lucas repeated.

"I cannot. The data does not compute."

"What's that mean?" he hissed. Lucas shrugged his shoulders. He was completely baffled. He punched some codes in hoping to figure out how to bypass the problem but to no avail.

"I don't know," replied Lucas. "I should be able to access the bridge from here, but I can't. The computer doesn't recognize the coding." Clemens shoved the teen aside roughly and punching in his own codes that he knew. Each time the screen flashed 'no access'. Clemens pounded the side of the desk irately.

"Dammit," he shouted. He grabbed Lucas by the scruff of the neck and rammed him up against the wall furiously. "What did you do?" he hissed.

"Nothing," screamed Lucas. "It's blocked by an old code. I've never seen that screen before. It must be something old from Captain Bridger's time…a safe guard or something." Clemens shook him harshly and rammed him against the wall again. Lucas cried out in pain. "I'm telling the truth,' he stammered.

"Take me to the Bridge NOW!" demanded Clemens. He shoved Lucas towards the door sending him sprawling onto the floor helplessly. Lucas awkwardly stumbled to his feet as Clemens continued shoving him out the door in a fit of rage. Lucas squeezed his fists together several times, his mouth dry and his hands cold from fear. He was beginning to understand that he likely wasn't going to get off SeaQuest alive. There was no way he was going to be able to hack his way onto the Bridge. Even if he did, that odd code had locked the boat down. SeaQuest was dead. He wouldn't be able to launch it. He shivered knowing he wouldn't be able to convince Clemens of that.


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: This chapter is short. Either, I'm torturing you, or I'm just a busy mom trying to wrangle kids after being up late last night. (smirk) Now I understand why people use Betas...editing takes more time than writing. Sorry, for give the errors and read for the adventure. The kids are happily playing Lego, the hubby is watching Star Wars with one. We saw Star Wars with the kiddies. My heart is broken. SNIFF...I won't say anymore in case you haven't had a chance to see it yet. Its good, but I'm broken hearted. The writers did a VERY BAD THING in my humble opinion.**_

 _ **I'm hoping to finish this story before school begins on Jan 4th. Once school starts, alas, my focus will be on teaching again. Sadly for me, it leaves me very little time for writing. And I promised my wonderful husband I'd go to bed earlier.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading along. Reviews are still not showing up for me to read. Thanks for reviewing and reading along. If you have reviewed, I will write you back when I see them. If you review anonymously, thanks for taking the time.**_

 _ **Keep reading, we are at the climax now, I think. Maybe. (smirk)**_

 _ **Captain's Ready Room**_

Nathan entered his Ready room cautiously. After checking to make sure it hadn't been compromised, he secured the door behind him. Lucas had no access to this room, and Nathan rarely allowed the teenager admission. Hard copies of highly classified military information were stored in this room. Jonathan was the only other person who had access. Nathan proceeded to tap into a secure channel. Using this channel, even his most senior crew on the bridge were blind to it. He sent a message directly to Admiral Noyce. It was sent crudely but with top UEO encryption. Noyce would know that SeaQuest needed help. Apart from the Captain or Lieutenant Commander, no one else could message outside the boat. It was impossible to track, and the mainframe computer was blind to it. Admiral Noyce would simply receive the message SOS. After setting the code, Nathan slipped from the room, locking the door behind him.

Nathan headed towards the bridge. He knew that if Lucas tried to access the bridge, the teen would quickly discover his inability to gain entry. Nathan knew the boy would be helpless to change it. The coding was ancient, and it had been a fail-safe that Nathan had hidden. Lucas was brilliant, but he was still very much a young boy. Intelligence could not make up for the wisdom of age. Nathan had to prevent access to the bridge at all costs. He knew Lucas had the wisdom to launch the boat and once in the water, it would be much too difficult to control what Clemens would do. SeaQuest was a fully operational military war ship. In the wrong hands, it was a weapon.

As Nathan hurried down corridor after corridor, he attempted to ascertain what Lucas was thinking. The teen had purposely deceived Mycroft into believing he could only access the bridge by the Mag-lev. There had to be a logical reason. Was he stalling for time? It would be easy to lead Clemens in circles as each corridor resembled the next. He knew Lucas wouldn't purposely lead Clemens to the bridge if he could prevent it. By now, Lucas should have known he wouldn't gain entrance. He just hoped the kid didn't panic. Ortiz said that Lucas had seen him so the boy must have known that he wasn't alone. Lucas just had to keep his composure. At that moment, it dawned on Nathan exactly what Lucas had in mind.

"Oh, Lucas, good job, kid," he muttered under his breath, a smile creeping across his face. He picked up his pace, heading for the Mag-Lev.

 _ **Somewhere on A-deck**_

Clemens grew tired of following the teenager and grabbed his arm viciously. He harshly whipped Lucas to face him and shook his fist at the frightened kid. Lucas shrunk back.

"You think I'm an idiot, don't you?" shouted Clemens, trying to stay calm. He gritted his teeth crossly. "Stop stalling!" Lucas' heart was pounding in his chest as he struggled to stay calm. He needed to keep his head clear. Captain Bridger would have good reason to block access. Deep down, he felt relieved he couldn't gain entry. He didn't want to give Clemens any more power than he already had. The man was quite simply unstable. He was fighting a war within himself. He claimed to want peace yet he chose to use violence to attain it. Catching Lucas off guard, Clemens smacked him in the face several times sending him to his knees. Lucas momentarily saw stars from the blows. He felt blood trickling down his chin mixed with saliva. He held his hands over his head to block further blows. Clemens continued raining down blow after blow in a fit of rage.

"STOP!" screamed Lucas, attempting to fight back. He tried to stand up but lost his footing landing on his back. Clemens placed his foot on Lucas' throat and pushed hard. Lucas felt himself gasping.

"I'm finished playing games with you! Get me to the bridge NOW!" Clemens gave a final shove on Lucas windpipe before removing his foot. Lucas laid still, weak from the assault. He felt like he was in a dream and couldn't wake up. He was paralysed and couldn't move a muscle. Clemens reached down and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. He brought him close to his face. "Where is that elevator?" Lucas choked back a sob and pointed down the next corridor. Clemens let him go and shoved him towards it. "GO!"

Lucas stumbled and tripped twice before gaining his balance. Every part of him was trembling in fear now. He quickly took the sadistic man to the entrance of the Mag-lev. He pushed the outer button and door sprung open. The normal greeting didn't acknowledge him, and Lucas silently breathed a breath of relief. Had the Mag-lev spoken its normal greeting, his last chance of escape might have been lost. Lucas breathed heavily, feeling nauseous and faint. He shook his head slightly to clear it. He couldn't lose concentration now.

Clemens followed the teen inside. Lucas quickly pushed the button for the bridge and sat down. Without warning, the machine whirled into motion, sending Clemens flying to the end of the lift. Clemens cried out in pain as his head smashed against the seats at the other end. The gun in his hand flew against the wall with a thud while the man lay unconscious on the floor. The lift operated at such a high velocity, no one could stand in it without being flung forward. The lift had warnings to sit plastered everywhere. Lucas had acted quickly, not giving Clemens anytime to think.

Without thinking, Lucas pulled on the emergency wire above his head, slowing the Mag-lev to a stop. He desperately needed to get off the lift and away from Clemens. He attempted to stand, but the room spun around him dangerously. He groaned and sat down again. Lucas looked cautiously at Clemens and tried to stand again. He grabbed the inside walls and forced himself forward towards the door and the exit button on the wall. He pushed the button and the door flew open with a whoosh. Lucas looked up to see the lift had stopped between doorways leaving him little to no space to escape. He had inadvertently trapped himself.

"Ugh," groaned Lucas. He silently cursed at himself. In his rush to get away, he had forgotten the emergency cord was intended to stop the lift instantly. It didn't necessarily allow passengers to get off. Sometimes it had to be moved slowly manually from the outside. He shoved his face against the opening to try and see if he could make out where he was. "Help!" he shouted weakly. He was feeling fainter by the minute. He was having difficult time breathing, and his airway felt constricted.

Nathan heard Lucas' voice as he came around the corridor by Conference room 8. He tried to see where the sound was coming from. The opening for the Mag-lev was ajar, but the lift was jammed ¾ of the way forward between openings.

"Lucas," shouted Nathan loudly. "Are you alright?" Just at that moment, he saw the boy's hand in the opening of the doorway. "Lucas," he shouted again, as he leaned forward to touch the boy's hand. "Hey, kiddo, sit tight and I'll get you out. What happened to Clemens?" asked Nathan, leaning in close and peering in at Lucas.

"The lift knocked him out, Captain, but it might not last long. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," sobbed the boy pitifully

"Hey, kiddo, it's ok," assured Nathan, squeezing the teen's hand tightly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," gasped Lucas, trying to catch his breath. "I shouldn't of taken off like that. I shoulda asked for help. I'm so sorry. I messed up, Captain."

"It's okay, kiddo. Everyone makes mistakes," soothed Nathan, trying to calm the kid.

"I wouldn't have let him on the bridge, Captain," replied Lucas suddenly, his voice sounding strangely haunted.

"If he wakes up, you cooperate with him, Lucas, that's an order!" commanded Nathan, trying to make himself sound stern. Nathan heard the teen gasp and choke back sobs.

"Lucas,"

"Please, get me out!" begged the frightened boy, his bottom lip trembling. Nathan grimaced at the sound of the teen's voice. He hadn't heard that tone in the kid's voice before. Lucas had reached his limit.

"Hang tight, kiddo. I'll get you out." With that, the Captain let go of the teen's hand and tapped his PAL. "Mr. Ortiz, secure the bridge as best you can from the outside and get to corridor 10, Lucas is trapped between openings on the Mag-lev," stated Nathan quickly.

"Aye," came the short reply.

Nathan gripped the doors firmly and attempted to pull the door open completely. He grunted from the physical exertion. It was never an easy thing to open the doors manually. The emergency stop was meant to be quick, but Nathan wished like hell it was more accurate in stopping in a doorway. Every minute that ticked by was one more minute closer to Clemens gaining consciousness, and it terrified Nathan to know Lucas was trapped with him. The madman had nothing left to lose.

Lucas' eyes left the captain and zoned in on the gun lying beside Clemens. He needed to get to it before Clemens gained consciousness. He had no idea how long the man would be out. Lucas carefully stumbled towards the back of the room. His head was spinning, and he was having trouble seeing straight. He felt himself gasping for air and choking. He sat abruptly and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, breathing hard. His hand came back covered in blood. He felt his lip and face swelling and his head pounded so that he could hear his own pulse in his head. Nausea overwhelmed him once again, and he retched so violently that he knocked himself to his knees. His stomach was empty and the uncontrollable retching made him even more dizzy and weak. He could hear voices outside the lift struggling to move it manually. Lucas eyed the gun again and struggled to crawl to it. He froze when he heard Clemens groan and move his hand to his head. Lucas held his breath as the man attempted to move but then seemed to lose consciousness again and was still. Lucas again began to crawl towards the gun, his arms trembling uncontrollably. He lay on his belly and reached out as far as he could and fingered the handle of the revolver. The gun was inches from Clemens face, but the man appeared insentient. Lucas inched closer willing himself to reach ahead bravely. Time seemed to stop, and he held his breath as he gasped the handle. Just as he moved to take the gun, Clemen's eyes opened.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Pearl Harbour, Hawaii**_

 _ **Admiral Noyce's home.**_

Bill stood up from the table and walked into the kitchen to pour himself another cup of tea. He heard the phone ring in the other room. He secretly hoped the call was for his wife, Janet. It had been a rather long day at the UEO, and he just wanted to sit in his favourite chair and read a book.

"Bill, the phone is for you," called Janet from the dining room. Bill sighed, irritability. The day just kept giving. He sauntered out to the kitchen and took the phone from his wife. She smiled at him warmly and left the room.

"Noyce here," replied Bill gruffly.

"Admiral Noyce, sir. This is Lieutenant Commander Tanner. I'm sorry to bother you at home, but we are receiving an odd code from SeaQuest." stated the Commander. Bill raised an eyebrow in concern.

"SeaQuest? That's odd. The ship is dry docked in Port Everglades. No one is onboard. What kind of code Commander?" he inquired.

"It's nothing I've ever seen Admiral. I don't recognise the coding at all, sir," replied Tanner.

"Perhaps it's a glitch, Tanner. Did you call Port Everglades?"

"No, sir. The code came over a private, encrypted UEO security channel. It's meant only for you, sir and it came directly from Captain Bridger."

"Bridger? Was there a message attached, Commander?"

"S.O.S."

"That's it?" demanded Bill, suddenly alarmed. He felt his pulse speed up in unease. Nathan Bridger and he had been friends for thirty-five years. They had attended the academy together in what seemed like a different lifetime. Bill knew Nathan as well as he knew himself.

"Yes, sir."

"Contact security in Port Everglades, Commander and get me a secure link. I need to talk with whoever is in change right now!" commanded Bill.

"Right away, Admiral, sir."

Bill strode to his office and sat behind his desk waiting for a secure vid-link with Port Everglades. He had no idea what was happening, but he did know that only Nathan and Jonathan knew that emergency code and neither one of them would use them unless they or SeaQuest was needed help. It was a very old code that Nathan had programmed into SeaQuest himself. Academy graduates today would have no knowledge of such codes and wouldn't know what to make of it. Bill shook his head in confusion. The code made no sense to him since SeaQuest as dry docked and not even in the water. The last he had heard, Nathan and Lucas were out at the Island bonding and relaxing on shore leave. Why would Nathan be sending him a SOS? There was no way that it was a computer glitch. It could only be activated manually with a password and a key. What was going on in Port Everglades?

 _ **Outside the Mag-lev**_

Nathan and Miguel worked at manually moving the Mag-lev backwards to bring it closer to the opening. Everything was so much more complicated when the ship was not in service. The lift seemed stuck fast. No matter how much they worked at moving it, their attempts seemed futile. Both men were becoming soaked with perspiration with very little to show for their efforts.

"Damn it,' cursed Nathan pounded the door in aggravation. He leaned against the door frame catching his breath. Miguel squatted to rest.

"Mr. Ortiz, you're going to need to get us some back up. We can't open this thing on our own." Miguel nodded his agreement and took off down the corridor. Nathan leaned into the doorway and called out Lucas' name.

"Lucas, we can budge the door, but Ortiz went to get some back up. Hang tight, okay?" called Nathan into the lift. Nathan waited but didn't hear a reply.

"Lucas," he called again, worry in his voice. Had the teen lost consciousness? He wasn't sure how injured the kid was. Still no answer came to him.

"For crying out loud, Mr. Wolenczak, answer me!" he demanded again. Nathan banged on the door with his fist, hoping to revive the kid if he had passed out. Nathan listened closely and still received no answer. With renewed vigour, Nathan tackled the door again, yanking and pulling with all his might. He had to get the lift moved enough so he could get inside.

 _ **Inside the Mag-Lev**_

Clemens stuck his hand out and instantly grabbed the gun from Lucas' grasp. Lucas tried to inch backwards, but Clemens managed to sit up quickly and grab his arm roughly. Clemens held his hand to his face indicating that Lucas stay silent when Captain Bridger called his name. Lucas stiffened and attempted weakly to get free of Clemens' grip. Clemens rubbed his face groggily and pulled himself to his feet. He stumbled slightly and sat down on the seat behind him. He felt dizzy and was having a difficult time remembering how he hit his head. He glared at Lucas who was still on the floor. Clemens glanced round and began to read the signs written over head. Suddenly he put everything together and glowered at Lucas.

"You brought me here on purpose, didn't you?" he demanded, wincing at his own voice. "You planned for me to bash my head, you son of a bitch!" he seethed. Lucas attempted to crawl backwards, but Clemens kept a tight grip on his wrist. His head hurt like hell and his vision was off. He had really cracked his head hard on the seats. He felt a lump forming on his temple. Clemens looked at Lucas with hatred and managed to stand up, pulling Lucas to his feet. "That was your last mistake," whispered Clemens ominously. He raised his arm and smacked the teen as hard as he could. He watched as the kid went flying, smacking his face on the side of the lift. He landed with a sickening thud, sprawled out on the floor in an awkward position. He glared at the annoying kid and looked for the exit. Forget the damn kid, he was nothing but a nuisance and a liability. He would find his own way to the Bridge and hack his way in. He'd launch the friggen ship himself. He stumbled to the exit and realised he was trapped in the lift. He could hear the lift being pried open. He readied himself for someone entering the lift.

Nathan heard footsteps behind him and turned to see several men with his Sensor chief. Nathan was relieved to have the manpower to maneuver the lift enough to squeeze inside. He surveyed the room to see Clemens with his gun pointed at the unconscious teen sprawled on the floor. Nathan made a move to go to Lucas' side but was stopped in his tracks when Clemens grabbed the kid by his arm roughly.

"Stay back, Captain. He's alive for now," stated Clemens, looking raged and unpredictable.

"What do you want, Clemens?" thundered Nathan, feeling every nerve in his body tense up. Nathan watched as the man pulled Lucas to his feet roughly and wrapped his arm around the boy's neck and shoulder to keep him upright. Lucas' eyes fluttered open and he choked loudly. Nathan cast a sympathetic look his way trying to reassure the frighten kid from afar. Lucas gained his footing enough to take the pressure off his throat.

"Good morning, sunshine. Say hi to your captain," remarked Clemens snidely taking a step further back and resting his body against the wall. "I want a launch, Captain, and I want time to escape. I never asked for the UEO to breathe down my neck."

"You're a gutless coward, Clemens. Terrorizing children who can't defend themselves?" countered Nathan, waving his hand behind him to keep the men outside at bay. He knew they would be raring to come in, and they wouldn't be able to hear what was being said inside the lift. "Remain as you are, Ortiz," he commanded firmly behind him.

"Children," scoffed Clemens, shaking Lucas hard enough to make his teeth rattle. "You are fooling yourself, Bridger. This 'child' is smarter than you and me combined. He could captain this boat better than you!" Lucas's clear blue eyes stared at Nathan, pleading with him. His face was bruised, all around his eyes were red speckled and his breathing was raspy. Nathan could tell it had been a rough ride for Lucas. The kid was barely holding on.

"Let the kid go, Clemens. I'll get you out, I give you my word," stated Nathan, genuinely meaning every word. The man laughed and shook his head.

"Yah, right. Lucas thought I was an idiot too. Well, I'm not!" Clemens tightened his grip on Lucas causing him to gasp for air and choke.

"Can't you see, the kid can't breathe? Damn, ease up on him, for Pete's sake!" shouted Nathan, fighting every urge he had not to snatch Lucas away come what may.

"Get me off this damned lift and onto the bridge NOW! I'm finished playing games with you people." He roared pointing the gun at the ceiling and firing it off several times in rage. Nathan held up his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, I'll get the lift open. Relax, okay," Nathan turned to squeeze out the door again. Clemens relaxed his grip on Lucas and the kid pulled away with a jerk. The gun remained poised on him.

"Captain, don't try to be a hero," warned Clemens as Nathan left.

Once outside, Nathan explained the situation to the men. He ordered them to stand down and to do nothing to jeopardize Lucas' safety. The men worked to pry the lift sideways more. After what seemed like forever, the lift was forced sideways enough for the occupants to walk off. Clemens entered the corridor holding Lucas tightly in front of him, like a shield. He ushered the Captain forward towards the bridge.

"I can't launch this boat, Clemens," replied Nathan as he walked slowly towards the bridge. "It's locked down." Clemens groaned in annoyance.

"I don't believe you," he snapped. "Lucas already told me that you designed this boat. If you can't launch it, then no one can." The men came to the bridge and Nathan punched the codes necessary to allow the entry onto the bridge. He turned to face Clemens, his heart aching for Lucas. Lucas wasn't saying anything but his eyes were wide with fear.

"I designed it, but I didn't build it. There are fail-safes that even I have no control over. C'mon, you should know that. This is the UEO we're talking about!" urged Nathan, feeling his own desperation. Clemens' face burned with anger, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Get it in the water, Captain or this kid dies."

 _ **A/N -Well readers, this as much time as I have; the story is coming to a close soon. I will just need to complete it as I have time in January. I did my best to finish but life happens**_ __


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N—I had a few minutes to edit another section of the story tonight. Tomorrow school starts…My kids are so depressed. *smirk* I still can't read reviews. I don't receive emails either so I can't read any of the reviews. I hope you are enjoying the story. I learned all about launching submarines from a dry dock. It was actually really interesting. I think I should have thought that part of it out better…its more complicated than I knew. (haha)**_

 _ **Anyways…here is chapter 14**_

Lucas fought to keep his footing as Clemens shoved him out of the Mag-lev into the hallway. The hallway had filled with men holding guns, all trained at Clemens. Lucas's eyes searched the men's faces, pleading with them with his eyes. He didn't want to die. He felt himself mumbling an incoherent language. His words came out in a garbled jumble. Clemens held him tightly around the neck and one shoulder and walked backwards keeping Lucas as a shield. Lucas heard Captain Bridger shouting orders to stand down. The men had all taken various defense stances, some kneeling and some standing; each men was poised in such a way to be ready should an opportunity present itself. Lucas caught sight of Miguel. For several seconds their eyes met. It was hard to decipher the gaze, one of sympathy and deep anguish. Lucas swallowed hard, his mouth dry in fear. His head pounded and he was having a difficult time keeping his balance. It didn't help that Clemens was half dragging him backwards and Lucas couldn't see where he was going. He closed his eyes to rest, feeling an overwhelming urge to shut his eyes. He felt himself drifting in and out of consciousness.

Lucas startled when he heard his name. He snapped his eyes open to see he was on the bridge. Clemens had shoved him into a chair, keeping the gun trained on his head. Every once and awhile Lucas felt the tip of the gun poke the back of his head. The metal felt cold and menacing on his head. He tried hard to blink and clear his head, but everything seemed like it was in a foggy tunnel. The sounds of voices and arguing were muffled. His vision was fuzzy, and it was getting more difficult to swallow. His head was pounding and his mouth felt like cotton. He saw Captain Bridger arguing with someone on a large screen. He heard more shouting and screaming. He felt himself being dragged around and knocked off his feet, once again losing consciousness.

Again, Lucas felt himself being dragged and harshly shoved into a chair. He felt rough angry hands poking and prodding at him. He attempted to pull away only to feel more piercing pain. His eyes opened as he felt his arm being twisted viciously behind him. He cried out in agony. The sharp pain seemed to bring about an alertness. He focussed his vision on Captain Bridger who was at the helm of the boat. Lucas looked around at the controls and the front of the bridge. He was shocked to realise that SeaQuest was being put in water.

Nathan turned his eye to look at Lucas. The teen had seemed to become aware of his surroundings. He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. For the past several hours, the kid had been in and out of consciousness. Clemens continued to mercilessly shove and jerk the kid around. Nathan felt his temper simmering near a boil point as he watched helplessly. It had taken him hours to get enough personnel to flood the dry dock. For an intelligent man, Clemens was truly an imbecile when it came to the meaning of dry dock. It wasn't a simple manoeuvre to launch a submarine the size of SeaQuest. It took a lot of manpower. Nathan had the knowhow, but it still took an army of personnel to do it. He'd argued and shouted at people. He made unreasonable demands. He was thankful that the maintenance had been finished quickly the past several days. SeaQuest operated in harsh environments; seawater was very corrosive and the submarine operated at depths where it was subjected to extremely high pressures. The sub was a complicated boat with thousands of pumps, motors, generators, turbines, and valves, etc, that had to be kept working properly. Normally, a sub the size of SeaQuest wouldn't even enter dry dock for such a short shore leave, but the boat had been in desperate need of maintenance. Theoretically, the boat should have been doing sea trails first before being deployed.

"How long is this going to take, Bridger," snapped Clemens, growing impatient of waiting. He had made sure the bridge was locked down securely and that no other person could enter. Bridger seemed more than capable to operate the boat even if he was running from control to control.

"It takes time. I'm doing the work of six people," snapped Nathan.

"I-I can help," mumbled Lucas suddenly. Clemens held fast to the teenager and kept his gun close.

"I could use his help," acknowledged Nathan, eyeing Lucas carefully. Perhaps, if he could get Lucas absorbed in assisting him, it would help the kid feel less frightened. Nathan wasn't sure how clear-headed the Lucas was, or if he could even stay conscious. Clemens hesitated letting the boy go.

"Once they flood the dock, I'm going to need help to submerge this thing," replied Nathan, concentrating on something being spoken to him over headphones. Clemens grabbed a set of headphones to listen in on the conversation. He wanted to be in the know about what was being said. "Damn it, Clemens, submerging this thing on my own is next to impossible. I need some crew, for crying out loud. Do you expect me to run from station to station doing the job of six men?" Nathan's voice was calm, but firm.

"I expect you to do the job, captain, or watch the kid die a painful death," muttered Clemens. He pulled Lucas to his feet and shoved him towards a chair beside him. He pointed the gun at the back of his head and looked arrogantly at Captain Bridger.

"There, you have your crew." Nathan groaned and gave Lucas a compassionate look. The kid looked horrible but was doing his damndest to stay alert. Nathan couldn't believe the kid's resolve. If they survived this, he doubted the kid would ever fail at anything.

Miguel paced helplessly outside the bridge. He had successfully reached all the senior crew except Dr Westphalen. He had requested that one of the personnel keep attempting to reach her. She would be needed when everything was finished. Miguel just prayed that nothing else worse would befall Lucas or the Captain. Lucas looked bad enough. Miguel had helped the other teens off SeaQuest. Both kids were visibly shook up but had no serious injuries. O'Neill, Hitchcock, Krieg, Crocker, and Ford had quickly made their way to SeaQuest when Miguel contacted them. All of them felt stunned and powerless waiting. Captain Bridger and Lucas were trapped on the bridge, and everyone was blind to what was going on inside. They heard the engines, and crew had been put in place to help launch the boat. Personnel were positioned strategically in order to infiltrate.

Jonathan thought carefully as he waited. He knew SeaQuest as well as Captain Bridger. He also knew how the captain thought. Often they found themselves on the same wavelength and many a time, that awareness saved their lives. Jonathan squinted his eye narrowly at O'Neill, remembering a time when the captain and Tim had swam the aqua tubes to get Darwin from the Bridge moonpool to Sea-deck when he was sick. It wouldn't be easy, but it was feasible. Tim noticed Jonathan staring at him and returned the gaze questionably.

"What are you thinking, Commander," he inquired.

"I have a way in," he stated quietly. All eyes turned to their commander. "The moonpool. Remember when Darwin was sick, Tim?" Tim's eyes lit up at the memory.

"Of course!" he replied with excitement. "It's not a simple route, and it's easy to get twisted around. When Bridger and I were with Darwin, I was panicking. It's not like there are signs telling you where to go. You have to think strategically," explained O'Neill.

"Do you think you can remember how to get us there," urged Jonathan, unsure if Tim could retrace his route down there. The breathers only gave them about 20 minutes of air. Tim hesitated while thinking about the route in his head.

"Yah, I'm sure I can remember." Jonathan smiled and patted the man on the back, appreciatively. He knew that O'Neill was not in his element in the water. He was primarily a linguistic man. He was an asset to the crew in every way, but his strength was not underwater.

"Alright, Ortiz, Hitchcock and Krieg, I want you to come with O'Neill and me. If we can get in, we might be able to overpower him," explained Ford.

"Jonathan, the moonpool on the bridge will be sealed," commented Katie. Jonathan nodded knowingly.

"I know, but it's a chance I'm willing to take. Bridger might be able to open it subtly without drawing attention to it. The rest of you, stay here and be ready to enter." All the heads nodded.

 _ **Pier Harbour, Hawaii**_

Bill paced back and forth in his office at UEO headquarters. He had just finished speaking with Nathan on SeaQuest. Nathanhad been incredibly cryptic with him. He knew his friend was under immense pressure. Submerging SeaQuest on his own was going to be next to impossible, even if Lucas could manage to keep conscious. The youngster looked more than a little worse for wear. It was obvious that Clemens had been very forceful with the kid. Bill kept wracking his brain for clues in the code Nathan had sent him. It wasn't just a help signal. There was more to it, and Bill was frustrated with himself for not remembering. Nathan and he had known one another for what seemed like an eternity. They had played sports together, drank together and met their wives together. They had stood up at each other's weddings. Christened each other's kids. Hell, the two of them were just as close as brothers.

"Damn it, Noyce, think," he scolded himself and sat down at his desk. He drummed his fingers across the desk in irritation. Suddenly, he felt his age. Maybe 60 was too old, he berated himself. He couldn't even remember a simple code from 30-some years ago.

Bill's mind wandered back to the days when they had been in the academy. Nathan had been a hard-headed youth. Bill smirked at the thought. Nathan hadn't really changed. He'd just matured and became more stubborn. Nathan had once sat in class and argued with a teacher for over an hour. The instructor had not backed down and Nathan hadn't either. In the end, Nathan had ended punished for his defiance. Bill chuckled to himself at the memory. No one was able to dissuade Nathan when he had his mind set on something. If his memory served him right, Nathan had insisted that there should always be security measures on top of security measures built into every vessel. Maybe even some measures that no one else onboard knew about except the captain, the commanding officer and one other person off ship. Bill felt his mouth form an "O" as his memory recalled the coding that Nathan had created. Nathan had encoded SeaQuest.

"Son of gun," he mumbled as the memories flooded back. "Nathan Hale Bridger, you old dog you, you were right." Bill quickly grabbed the receiver from his desk to make a call.

 _ **SeaQuest**_

 _ **Sea-deck on C-deck**_

Jonathan followed Tim into the moonpool. Both men put the breathers into their months and went under. Krieg, Hitchcock and Ortiz quickly followed suit. They had twenty minutes to find the moonpool on the Bridge. If they hadn't found a logical route in ten minutes, Jonathan had ordered Hitchcock and Krieg to head back and grab more breathers. Accessing the bridge like this might be the only way for them to get in and take Clemens by surprise. They had no idea how long it would take SeaQuest to submerge with just Bridger manning the controls. The captain was good, but he was still only one man. SeaQuest needed a crew to launch her.

Jonathan followed Tim through the aqua ducts for several minutes. Tim had been right. It was very confusing in the tubes. There were no signs pointing which direction they were heading. Jonathan wondered how Darwin did it each day as he merrily swam through the tubes each day. Darwin seemed to instinctively know where he was going all the time. Jonathan followed Tim around a corner and they both came up out of the water, pulling out the breathers. They were quickly followed by Katie and Ben. They stood staring at each other attempting to gain their bearings.

"Any idea where we are?" asked Jonathan glancing around in confusion. They couldn't see anything and the ducts were dark.

"I can't be positive. This happened with Captain Bridger and me when were taking Darwin to Sea-Deck. There are so many dark ducts, but if you look to your left, you can see light. That light is the ducts that follow the corridors. Once we get to them, it should lead us directly to the bridge," responded Tim with confidence.

"Are you sure?" asked Miguel. He was feeling completely lost in the dark passageways of the ducts. Tim nodded.

"Remind me to complain to Captain Bridger about his poor design of the aqua ducts," mumbled Ben as he returned the breather to his mouth. Katie smirked at Ben. Leave it to Ben to crack a joke under any circumstance. As much as he annoyed her, she appreciated the levity.

Tim returned the breather to his mouth and submerged again, leading the crew to where he speculated the bridge moonpool would be. He was silently praying that he wouldn't get lost. He had nearly lost his wits the last time, and Captain Bridger had kept him calm. He had to keep himself together and get everyone to the bridge. The duct was pitch black and he hoped the others could follow him blindly. They had about ten more minutes of air and they'd be trapped in the aqua ducts. Suddenly Tim saw light ahead and swam as fast as he could to reach it. He looked out the window and recognised the corridor straight away. He turned and waved at the crew behind him. He knew exactly where the bridge was now.


	15. Chapter 15

_**SeaQuest Bridge**_

Nathan waited as the voice on the other end gave him instructions regarding the depth of the water beneath the submarine. SeaQuest needed a specified depth before it could start to move away from the dock. Clemens listened closely as the information was passed onto Nathan. He growled and tossed the headphones at the console.

"Why is it taking so long?" he almost whined, his patience all but gone. Nathan shook his head and removed his head phones as well.

"Do you have any idea how large this submarine is? 1000 ft Clemens! It's not your average sub,"

"So we just sit and wait?" argued the irritated man.

"Exactly. When the dock is fully submerged, they'll let us know. Until then we wait," replied Nathan checking the digital readings carefully. Nathan walked over to where Lucas was sitting and patted the teens arm reassuringly. Clemens growled and repositioned his gun on the boy.

"Don't get too cozy, captain," he warned. Nathan frowned at Clemens bitterly and sighed.

"For crying out loud, I'm just seeing how the kid is doing, Clemens," replied Nathan, with an edge to his voice. The waiting was grating on him just as much. He'd done all he could to waylay the launch. He just had to wait to see if SeaQuest would need to move or if Noyce had figured out his message.

"I'm okay, Captain," assured Lucas, managing a grim smile. For the moment, his head has stopped swimming, and he was grateful Clemens had stopped shoving him around. Nathan patted Lucas again, returning the smile.

"It's a guitar string moment, Lucas," stated Nathan. Lucas frowned in confusion and stared at Nathan.

"The trick is to not tighten the string too tightly." Lucas tried to figure out what the captain was saying by his anecdote. The captain winked at him kindly. Captain Bridger was known to say some cryptic thing to him and make him figure it out before explaining the meaning. Usually it had some valuable lesson in it, but figuring it out often drove Lucas to distraction. Nathan smirked at him and walked towards the main computer monitor.

Lucas leaned his head back and massaged his neck trying to ease some of the aches. His head ached too much to give the comment any more attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of movement in the moonpool. He knew that Darwin wasn't onboard SeaQuest, so his mind was having a difficult time making out what he was seeing. He reached to open the moonpool causing Clemens to grab his arm roughly.

"Ah," screamed Lucas painfully

"What did you do?" he hollered, jumping to his feet and staring at the odd body of water on the bridge. Nathan whirled around seeing the cause of the alarm.

"It's the moonpool, Clemens. It helps us to ascertain the water levels for SeaQuest. The kid just opened it for me," Nathan glanced at Lucas, raising an eye brow. Lucas licked his lips slowly and shrugged his shoulders. Clemens released his arm with a painful yank causing Lucas to grimace.

"I did it without thinking, Captain," explained Lucas rubbing his arm where Clemens had grabbed it. Nathan nodded and returned to the panel. Clemens turned his attention to what Nathan was doing. The screen went black suddenly, and then computer started flashing various codes. Nathan leaned back almost in shock as he read the flashing codes. His face was emotionless as he stared. Clemens stared at Nathan, wondering what the codes meant. He had seen many codes in his life but these ones were foreign.

"What are they?" demanded Clemens. "C'mere, kid," he demanded, grabbing Lucas harshly and forcing him to sit in front of him. Lucas groaned and stared at the moniters. The awareness of the sub being in water became obvious to him.

"We're floating, captain," replied Lucas. The rolling of the sub made it difficult to sit or stand. Lucas reached for the edge to steady himself. The sub was beginning to roll back and forth roughly. Clemens also grabbed the console to steady himself, and glared at Captain Bridger with fear in his eyes.

"What's happening?" he demanded.

"Submarines aren't that stable on top of the water. It's got a round hull which makes it rock on the surface," explained Lucas, staring at the odd codes on the screen. "What are those, captain?" questioned Lucas. Nathan frowned at Lucas sternly, hoping the smart teenager would understand the firm gaze. Lucas looked at him in bewilderment.

"Compensation codes, Lucas. You have seen these hundreds of times," replied Nathan, with concern on his face. Lucas nodded slowly and took it as a cue to remain quiet. He didn't have any idea what the codes were, but he knew they had nothing to do with the compensation.

"What are compensation codes?" snapped Clemens. He was feeling extremely frustrated not knowing what they were talking about. The longer time stretched out, the more annoyed he was becoming.

"Look, Clemens, you're forcing SeaQuest into the water without the proper stabilizing tests. The "Compensation" is critical. After a submarine is in port for maintenance, supplies and spares are loaded, and diesel fuel and water are topped off, and so on. It can be difficult to estimate the exact weight of the submarine. This estimation and adjustment back to neutral buoyancy is called "The Compensation", and it's critical to get it right. If the submarine is too heavy, once the air escapes from the MBTs, the sub will continue to sink toward Crush Depth. If that happens, I will have to "catch and carry the extra weight" with speed and the ship's angle until the extra weight can be pumped off. If the sub is too light, it won't sink at all," explained Nathan, annoyance in his voice as he entered his own codes into the computer and hitting enter. The information seemed to appease Clemens, and he remained quiet watching. Lucas glanced at Captain Bridger in amazement. The captain was doing something, but he wasn't doing anything to do with compensation.

Jonathan swam behind Tim to the moonpool on the bridge, and surfaced quietly. He quickly eyed the situation, taking note of where the captain stood, as well as Lucas and Clemens. He heard the captain explain why the moonpool was on the bridge. Jonathan smirked at the captain's explanation. Bridger was resourceful on his feet. It was no secret why he was the captain of SeaQuest. The man was full of ingenuity. Jonathan glanced at Clemens. There was no way they could do anything with Clemens' gun so closely targeted on Lucas. Jonathan strained to see what the captain was reading on the screens. He vaguely recognized the coding on the screen. He scowled as he tried to remember where he had seen it.

"The boat is in water, Commander," whispered Miguel surfacing, feeling the rocking of the sub. When the boat was first released from dry dock, it tended to rock perilously. Sometimes, it made it difficult to stand depending on how fast the dock was submerged. Jonathan nodded his agreement. He could feel the movement of the boat as well. It was disconcerting to know SeaQuest was about to be launched.

"Ortiz, Krieg, do you think you can find your way back?" inquired Jonathan looking at both men. They nodded confidently. "Good, get me some more breathers. As many as you can carry. Take what's left of ours and share them. You are going to have to move fast or you'll run out of air. I figure you have about 10 minutes left on all of them. Get air where you can in the aqua tubes," he ordered. Both men nodded and disappeared under the water. Katie looked at Jonathan curiously.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

"Those codes. I think they're a form of Morse code."

"Morse code?" Katie furrowed her brow inquisitively. With the advanced technology that the navy had, Morse code was an ancient form of communication. And outside of Morse code, which she was vaguely familiar with, she didn't know of any other form of coding. Tim's eyes grew large.

"The captain is communicating with someone and telling them exactly what's happening on the bridge," finished Tim in awe.

"I think so. He hasn't seen us yet," began Jonathan.

"So what are you thinking, Jonathan?" asked Katie trying to grip the side of the moonpool carefully to keep from going back under. The water wasn't freezing. but it was cold enough to make her shiver involuntarily.

"I want to get Lucas out. If we can manage that, we can take Clemens down," affirmed Jonathan "As soon as Krieg and Ortiz get back, we need to work on getting him off the bridge." Katie clear blue eyes rested on Lucas. The teen looked so much younger than his 15 years as Clemens towered over him. Somehow, they had to figure a way to get the kid out.

 _ **UEO headquarters, Pearl Harbour**_

Bill Noyce, surrounded by UEO leaders, sat in front of the computer inputting commands. He had figured out Nathans code and the two friends were communicating rather quickly. Nathan had informed Noyce about Clemens: who he was and what he wanted. The guy was a basic hacker. Noyce had researched the man and quickly discovered how dangerous he was. He always managed to slip into hiding, and no one saw him for years. How he was ever placed on at the Node Communication Installation was beyond Noyce's comprehension. The guy was obviously unstable. All those kids under Clemens tutelage made him shudder. Who really knew how much damage the man had done?

Bill was relaying messages to the UEO security in Port Everglades. The sub's dry dock was being submerged, but Nathan had come up with a plan. Once the dry dock was fully submerged, they were going to attempt to move it. The force of the movement would upset SeaQuest enough to violently rock it. Nathan was hoping that that would give him the edge he needed to overtake Clemens. He was hesitant to make any moves because Clemens had not changed the aim of his gun. He kept it trained on Lucas without fail. Bill was awaiting Nathan's final command once the dry dock was completely submerged.

 _ **SeaQuest**_

 _ **Bridge**_

Ortiz swam back with a bag full of breathers. He surfaced alone silently with a smile.

"Where's Krieg?" queried Jonathan with concern.

"We ran out of air in the last Aqua duct so he stayed behind. I stopped and gave him a breather on my return and he went back. He didn't look too good, Commander," answered Ortiz. Jonathan nodded. He hoped the man made it back okay as he would have been very lightheaded from low oxygen in the ducts. Jonathan turned to Tim in uncertainty. Tim smiled bravely and nodded. He grabbed and breather and disappeared into the water. Jonathan smiled. SeaQuest crew was by far the best in the fleet. Each man backed the other without a second thought.

"Okay, now we wait." Jonathan, Katie, and Miguel hovered in the water waiting for the right opportunity to make a move.

The submarine continued to rock as the dock lowered to its lowest point. The final jolt came when the dock landed at the bottom and slowly the rocking began to slow and finally stopped. Nathan heard Clemens give a sigh of relief. Nathan inputted some more codes while Lucas watched. He gazed at Clemens and around the room still trying to ascertain what the captain was doing. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a hand waving at him. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Lucas swallowed and looked again, straining his eyes. He waited to see if he would see it again. Sure enough, the hand came up again followed by Commander Ford. Lucas' eyes grew wide and he bit his lip to kept from gasping outloud.

"Captain, do you want a depth on the moonpool?" asked Lucas, staring intently at Nathan. He crossed his fingers that the captain wouldn't brush his attempt aside out of his protective nature. He needed to get to the moonpool to see what Commander Ford had planned. Nathan turned to Lucas with a look of confusion.

"Uh, not now, kid," he stated firmly. Lucas sighed loudly. He was debating how to handle the situation without alerting Clemens that something was awry.

"Captain, you know that once the dock has submerged, you need that calculation for submergence." Lucas frowned at Nathan almost belligerently. Nathan scowled at him, not understanding the insistence to get to moonpool. Clemens looked uneasily at both of them. He wasn't sure how to take the disagreement between them.

"Get the measurement now!" snapped Clemens at Lucas. Nathan glowered at him. Lucas nodded his understanding and stood up hastily. The sudden movement almost knocked him off his feet. His head was still making him feel of balance and unsteady. He made his way to the moonpool swiftly and appeared to be leaning over the edge to get a measurement. Clemens stared after him training his gun on Nathan. "NO funny business. Lucas," warned Clemens brusquely.


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N—YAY! Reviews are working again. Thanks for the reviews everyone. I'm glad you are enjoying the story.**_

 _ **Thanks to all the guest reviewers. I appreciate that you took time to comment.**_ __

 _ **Poohbear123—WOW! Thanks for all the chapter reviews. They were encouraging to read and it's nice to know how involved you are in the story. I hope you won't be too disappointed, but Nathan isn't going to do anything to Lucas but love on him. So many times, my kids have done some aggravating things, and I have often found myself wishing I could take them across my knee but I never would. It's something I would never act upon. I see Nathan being like that…kind of irritated and gruff but not reactive. I see him as a proactive kind of man.**_

 _ **Fighttowin1—So, are glad you found my story! What do you think? Is it meeting your expectations? Lucas took a wumping, but he's been one tough cookie, don't you think? Thanks for reviewing. What did you think of Star wars?**_

 _ **Fan of SeaQuest—Thanks for your review. Hope you are enjoying it!**_

 _ **Ang—thanks for the reviews…I appreciate that you are enjoying the story.**_

 _ **Just reviewing—thanks for the most excellent reviews and suggestions. I hope you are still reading along and enjoying the story.**_

 _ **Now on to the exciting stuff…dun dun dun**_ __

"Lucas," whispered Jonathan reaching out to grab his arm. "Listen to me, Ortiz is going to pull you into the moonpool and get you out of here." Lucas looked wide eyed at Jonathan and shook his head passionately.

"No, I'm not leaving without Captain Bridger," insisted Lucas, struggling to free his arm. Jonathan held fast to the frightened teen's arm. He gazed into his eyes firmly. He knew Lucas wasn't thinking straight and that he was terrified for the safety of the captain.

"Lucas, we need you out. Bridger can take care of himself!" replied Ortiz softly, beseeching Lucas to listen to the commanders words. Lucas shook his head again stubbornly.

"No, I won't go without him!" Lucas again struggled to free his arm from Jonathan's tight grasp. Just at that moment, the sub lurched violently to the side. Jonathan took that opportune moment to haul the protesting boy over the edge and into the water. Before the teen had any more time to protest, Ortiz shoved a breather into his mouth and pulled him under the water.

Nathan was pitched viciously to the left, and he struggled to maintain his balance as the boat was fiercely rocked off kilter. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lucas being thrown into the moonpool. His heart skipped a beat as he thought about Lucas being injured by the fall. He was pleasantly rewarded when he saw Jonathan's head pop up briefly. Nathan heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that Lucas was in good hands.

Clemens grabbed the side of the console, narrowly avoiding being tossed across the floor. He gripped his gun and whirled around to see Lucas gone.

"What the hell?" he screamed, turning to put his gun on Nathan. "Damn it, what's happening, Bridger?" he demanded, with venom in his voice. He had reached his breaking point and felt like he had nothing to lose anymore. "Where's the kid?"

"Too late, Clemens, my crew got him out," snapped Nathan, closing the dome with a smirk of victory. Clemens momentarily looked confused, but the violent rocking of the boat made him grab for stability. It was all he could do to keep his balance and keep the gun trained on Bridger.

Jonathan tried desperately to keep himself afloat as the submarine lurched back and forth. Someone must have forcefully moved the dry dock to upset the balance of the boat. The sub was being brutally rocked back and forth. Keeping his wits about him, he noticed the pool dome was being closed. Motioning quickly to Hitchcock, he managed to pull himself out the pool before it sealed. He laid breathing hard on the floor of the bridge. He turned to see Katie disappear back into the moonpool. There was nothing more she could do but head back to Sea-deck. Lucas would need her calm presence.

 _ **Sea-Deck on C-deck**_

Lucas' head came up out of the water, pulling the breather out of his mouth. He grabbed onto the side of the pool to keep from being thrown sideways violently. Tears of frustration filled his eyes and anger stormed within him. When Ortiz surfaced, Lucas attacked the larger man, pulling back fist to strike him. He felt himself being firmly restrained and hauled out of the water by the back of his shirt.

"Let me go!" he screamed, kicking and flailing to free himself. "Captain Bridger is trapped on the bridge with that nut. We need to get back to him!" Lucas glared venomously around the room at the personnel, who appeared to be doing nothing to help. At that moment, Katie surfaced and struggled to pull herself out of the pool. The sub was violently being tossed to and fro and the crew members were all struggling to remain standing.

"The dome is closed, Lucas," commented Katie, catching her breath. Lucas shook his head in denial. He was trembling and in shock. Katie reached out to pat his arm compassionately.

"Don't touch me!" he hissed, vehemently pulling his arm away. He glared daggers at her. A tall, muscular man stepped forward and grabbed Lucas by the scruff of his shirt, shaking him angrily.

"Cut it out, Lucas, Captain Bridger can take care of himself. It's better if you aren't there," snapped the crew member, dragging Lucas to his feet roughly. Tim glared at the man and pushed him away from Lucas.

"Leave him alone," warned Tim, feeling suddenly protective of the frightened teen. Lucas scowled at the man. The words burned in his head. _'It's better if you aren't there.'_ The words continued to ring through his head, echoing in his brain. Lucas shoved Tim's hand off of him and took off, stumbling to his knees several times before disappearing from the deck.

"Brilliant move, Jacobs," groaned Tim. "You're so tactful. The kid is traumatized. Have a heart, for Pete's sake!" The other man shrugged his shoulders but looked away from Tim's glare. Tim glanced at Katie briefly and took off after Lucas, also stumbling as the boat continued rocking.

 _ **SeaQuest Bridge**_

Clemens stumbled awkwardly towards Bridger, being tossed to and fro by the violent rocking of the boat. Suddenly, another abrupt jerk sent the men on the bridge tumbling to the floor. Clemens clung desperately to the gun as he attempted to gain his footing. Jonathan crawled across the bridge frantically trying to gain the upper hand on Clemens. Nathan struggled to keep his footing, holding tightly to the helm. The jerk of the dry dock further up-heaved the vessel, causing the boat to rock fiercely. Clemens eyed Jonathon and trained the gun on him.

"Don't move," he commanded, gripping to the side for dear life. Jonathan froze and tried to keep his balance but was thrown sideways. Clemens shot the gun, narrowly missing Jonathan. Nathan took that moment to fling himself at Clemens, knocking him to the ground harshly. Nathan took a swing and punched Clemens in the face. He struggled and wrestled with the man trying to get him to release the gun. He smacked his hand to the ground viciously. The pitching of the boat made it hard for him to keep his balance on top of Clemens.

"Ford, input code alpha 374 dash 9 dash 049 omega 2," shouted Nathan, struggling to keep the high ground with Clemens. Jonathan nodded, quickly getting to a computer and inputting the code. Afterwards, he dove at Clemens who had knocked the captain to the deck with the gun trained at his head. Jonathon hit Clemens hard from behind, sending the gun flying across the floor. Jonathan took off after the weapon. Nathan pulled himself to his knees, and threw another punch at Clemens, knocking him to the deck again. He flung himself at Clemens and wrapped his hand around the man's neck viciously, squeezing tightly.

"How does it feel, Clemens? Having the air choked out of you?" shouted Bridger. His anger was raging within him, thinking of how Lucas had looked when he found out about the strangulation. All the events of the past flooded his mind, and he gripped the man's throat tighter. Clemens clawed at his neck desperately, his eyes wide in terror. "You almost killed a teenage boy, for crying out loud! For what purpose? Huh?" Nathan shook the man roughly. Every fibre of his being was screaming at him to choke the man to death.

"Captain," shouted Jonathan from a distance, attempting to bring Bridger back to reality. Jonathan had retrieved the gun and was trying to regain his footing as the boat pitched back and forth. The rocking was starting to dissipate slightly, but it was still difficult to maintain his balance when standing.

"You pride yourself on attaining peace yet you nearly kill a child to achieve it?" continued Nathan, his face red in rage. He was struggling to keep his temper in check as he held the man's neck viciously. "Men like you make me sick! You're a coward, Clemens!" Slowly Nathan willed himself to calm down, and he loosened his tight grip on the man's throat. "Mark my words, you will rue the day you ever stepped foot on my boat!" Nathan shoved hard on the man's neck and stood up, straightening his shirt and glowering at the man. Clemens lay still holding his throat weakly, staring at Captain Bridger. As Nathan towered over the man, he thought he saw regret in his face.

"I never meant to hurt him, Bridger," whispered the man pathetically. Nathan scoffed at him, shaking his fist as his temper flared again. He reached out and hit some keys on the console which opened the door of the bridge.

"Too little, too late," Bridger seethed. He quickly turned his attention to the security personnel that flooded the bridge. "Get him out of my sight before I kill him with my bare hands!" barked Nathan, leaning against his chair on the bridge. Two security men grabbed Clemens roughly and dragged him off the bridge. Nathan heaved a sigh of relief and rubbed his face, fatigue enveloping him. His mind swirled with the events that he had just lived through. The name of one person rang out in his mind. Lucas. He needed to see Lucas. Nathan took off in search of the teenager. He needed to find out how the kid was doing.

 _ **Sea-deck on C-deck**_

Nathan hurried to c-deck to find Lucas. He briefly conversed with a few men on his way but refused to acknowledge most until he could see for himself that Lucas was okay. He reached the deck and rushed in to see Katie leaning against the moonpool in shock. She looked pretty bruised up, blood trickling down the side of her head. Nathan rushed to her side and glanced around. By the looks of things, personnel had taken a horrendous beating on the deck as medical equipment and science paraphernalia had been tossed across the deck haphazardly.

"Katie, are you alright?" asked Nathan, accessing her injuries. Katie nodded and looked at the captain with her clear blue eyes. "Where's Krieg? Is he ok?" Katie nodded again. "Ortiz?"

"Someone took Ben off the ship to the infirmary. He almost drown, but he's okay, Captain. Ortiz went to talk to Admiral Noyce," Katie hesitated before continuing. "Sir, Lucas took off, and Tim went after him. No one can find either one of them," finished Katie, grimacing at the pain in her head. Nathan frowned questioningly.

"Took off? Why?"

"He was angry that he was forced off the bridge. He didn't want to leave without you. One of the security guys said something without thinking, and he took off. He's not himself, Captain. He looked so scared," implored Katie. Nathan's heart ached for the kid.

"I know. He's been through hell. What was said?" demanded Nathan, inwardly groaning. Nathan knew Lucas had reached his breaking point a long time ago. How the kid had managed to keep himself together as long as he did was beyond Nathan's comprehension.

"Something about it being better if Lucas wasn't here," responded Katie. Nathan closed his eyes wearily. Of all the dumb things to say to a frightened 15 year old boy, thought Nathan. He sighed in aggravation. Nathan patted Katie's arm gently. He turned to one of the medics that had entered the bridge, ordering them to assist the wounded woman. He rose to his feet and rushed off the deck in search of the teenager.


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N—Hello to all of you who are still reading along.**_

 _ **Poohbear123—Don't worry, someone will find Lucas soon.**_

 _ **Fan of SeaQuest—Thanks for your kind words. I'm very humbled by them. I hope you will continue to enjoy the rest of the story as it unfolds.**_

 _ **Coralie14—Yes, I'm glad Clemens is out of the picture. I'm very sure Nathan is going to enjoy testifying against him and putting him away for a very long time. Thanks for reading and reviewing.**_

 _ **Ang—Yes, one of my favourite parts of SeaQuest was the relationship between Bridger and Lucas. I'm so glad you like my story.**_

 _ **SamDeanLove—here is more!**_

Lucas stumbled down the corridor, fighting to keep his balance against the forceful pitching of the boat. He kept falling and pulling himself up, determined to find a place to hide. He ran blindly towards the only safe place that came to mind. He irritably swiped at tears that welled up in his eyes, blocking his vision. His lungs were screaming at him to stop and rest, but he continued running. The violent pitching of the boat was making him feel nauseous. He struggled to keep from being sick. Finding his destination, he ducked into the room and crawled into a corner. Lucas pulled his knees tightly up to his chest and rested his head on them. His head was filled with venomous words that kept echoing his mind.

 _"It's better if you're not here!"_

 _"Don't tell me you're gonna do something if you don't intend to do it!"_

 _"You're such a disappointment."_

 _"You're always in the way."_

 _"You're an ungrateful, selfish brat."_

 _"I don't have time for you."_

 _"Get out of the way!"_

 _"Go away!"_

 _"IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU WERE NEVER HERE!"_

Lucas held his hands to his head, trying to rid himself of the words. The words continued to berate and assault him, relentlessly. He covered his ears and screamed at the words to stop. Gut-wrenching sobs engulfed him. He felt like he was drowning as he gasped for each breath. It would have been better if he never had set foot on SeaQuest. Everything that had occurred was his fault. Captain Bridger might be dead, and it was ALL. HIS. FAULT.

Nathan walked briskly down several corridors, wracking his brain trying to think where the distraught teen would go. He was thankful the boat had finally settled in the water. The tossing to and fro had been horrendous. He was immensely relieved that his idea to have the dry dock shifted worked. He was feeling desperate to find a way to get Lucas off the bridge. As long as Clemens had had his gun on Lucas, he'd felt helpless to do anything. Nathan hadn't wanted to do anything to endanger the kid. The timing of the massive displacement of the dock couldn't have been better had he planned it himself. At just that opportune moment, Jonathan had managed to yank the kid into the moonpool. He felt like he owed fate something for that miracle.

Nathan turned a corner still lost in his thoughts. Just as he did, he bumped into Crocker.

Crocker smiled at him warmly and clasped a hand on his shoulder affectionately.

"Good to see you safe and sound, Cap," replied Crocker, relief obvious in his voice. "Things were a little hairy there. SeaQuest felt like she was out in open sea during a hurricane." Nathan smirked at his good friend.

"That was my intention, Chief. I wanted to knock that idiot off his feet,"

"You knocked the boat off her feet, Cap," laughed Crocker. Nathan chuckled as well.

"Have you seen Lucas or Tim, by any chance?" asked Nathan.

"No, Cap," responded Crocker, shaking his head. "In all honesty, most of the personnel onboard are still trying to get their bearings after being shaken so badly. Lots of injuries are being reported. Thankfully, there wasn't but a handful of crew onboard when the violent rocking began. I just spoke to a few guys from the outside. They're still trying to get 'er steady. SeaQuest took a brutal beating. They're sending more people onboard to help us clean up and check for damage."

"So, no damage report yet?" inquired Nathan, furrowing his brows. He didn't really want to know how much damage had been suffered by the boat. The massive beating that she took attached to the dock wouldn't be good. Crocker shook his head again in answer.

"Has anyone seen Kristin?"

"The Doc wasn't onboard during the calamity, Cap, but that's all I can tell ya. I haven't seen her." Nathan sighed in relief. His mind rested in the news, happy she was safe.

"Keep your eye out for Lucas, Chief. He was pretty distraught. I need to find him as soon as possible. I don't even know how badly injured he is." Crocker smiled compassionately at Nathan. He knew Nathan loved the kid. Heck, the whole crew knew how much the two of them needed each other.

"Hang in there, Cap. We'll find him," assured Crocker, patting him on the shoulder and striding off.

"I hope so," Nathan muttered to himself as he continued off on his search.

Several minutes later, Nathan turned down a corridor to find Tim unconscious on the floor. Nathan ran to him and accessed his injuries. The man had a huge lump on the back of his head, and from the way he laid, it looked like he might have been thrown off the stairs onto the floor. Nathan cringed at the awkward position that his arm laid. Nathan turned the man over carefully, and gently secured his arm across his chest. He shook him gently, calling his name.

"Tim, hey Tim, wake up, Lieutenant." The man stirred briefly, moaning and rolling his head. Nathan shook him again, patting his cheek firmly as well. Tim's eyes fluttered several times before opening.

"Hey, welcome back, Lieutenant," replied Nathan, leaning back on his knees. Tim blinked his eyes a few times and groaned again, attempting to sit up. Nathan held his hand on his shoulder firmly.

"Captain," whispered Tim in bewilderment.

"Easy now, Tim. You took a bad knock to the head, and I think your arm is broken. Take it slow," suggested Nathan. Tim nodded slowly taking in the situation. He felt the throbbing of his head and his arm exponentially.

"That was the worst amusement park ride I've ever been on, Captain. What happened?" questioned Tim, blinking his eyes again to clear his head.

"Let's just say that I had the rug pulled out from under SeaQuest," commented Nathan with a small smirk. "Do you think you can sit up now?" Tim nodded. Tim gasped out in pain as Nathan helped him sit upright, supporting the man's injured arm. He heaved a sigh of relief once he was leaning against the wall.

"Clemens?"

"In custody," replied Nathan, not offering any more. "Did you happen to catch a glimpse of Lucas when he took off, Lieutenant?" Tim nodded, putting his hand to his head in obvious pain.

"He took off up the stairs like a jack rabbit, Captain. That kid is amazingly agile even when the boat is upside down," began Tim, "I started after him, but then the boat lurched so hard sideways that I lost my balance." Nathan patted the man kindly on the arm.

"It's okay, Tim. Stay put, and I'll get ya some help. The whole boat is a mess. Sit tight." Tim nodded, grateful that the captain was ok and that SeaQuest had stopped jerking violently in the water. Nathan stood up and headed up the stairs quickly.

Nathan managed to find someone to get help for Tim before he continued searching the boat. He searched all the places he could think of on B-deck. He grumbled to himself as he searched the deck. There were too many places for a kid to hide. Heck, the kid could be hidden in the floor again, or the vents, for all he knew. He stomped on the floor firmly in case he might hear something. It seemed like his efforts were all in vain. A crackle over the intercom caught his attention. The crackle turned into a voice.

"Captain Bridger, please report to the bridge immediately," came an unfamiliar voice. Nathan scowled and groaned at the interruption. He headed towards the stairs up to A-deck and to his quarters. It was the closest intercom to him to answer the call. He didn't have his PAL on him and at that point, he hadn't even known the intercoms were operational yet. A part of him was impressed with how quickly SeaQuest was functioning again. He reached his quarters, surprised to see the door ajar. He entered quickly, taking a quick glace around and walking to the intercom. He reached out to hit the button.

"Bridger,"

"Captain Bridger, sir, your presence is required on the bridge," repeated the unfamiliar voice.

"I'm busy at the moment," stated Nathan with annoyance.

"Captain, sir, it's imperative you come to the bridge at once."

"What the hell for?" he snapped, groaning at himself for losing his patience. He heard the voice gasp slightly and pause. Nathan sighed. "I'm on my way," he replied and tapped the button irritably. He was getting more concerned about Lucas with each passing moment.

"Damn it, Lucas, where are you?" he mumbled out loud. He shook his head and left the room.

Lucas was startled when Captain Bridger burst into the room. He made himself as small as possible as to not be seen by the man. He felt his heart rate increase when he saw him. He was alive! Captain Bridger was alive. Clemens hadn't hurt him. Lucas felt an overwhelming feeling of gratefulness. He had been so worried that the captain had been injured or even killed by Clemens. He silently sighed a breath of relief. He fought the urge to leap at him. However, the Captain's voice sounded weary and agitated. The anger in his voice made Lucas shudder and keep extremely still. Captain Bridger would be angry with him as well. That thought kept him hidden and silent as the captain left from the room. Hearing Captain Bridger angrily use his name before he left the room caused Lucas to wince and lay his head back on his knees in despair. His head throbbed. His breathing was shallow, and his entire body ached from the abuse of the night. He felt too weary to move. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept. Soon exhaustion overwhelmed him, and he slipped into a fretful sleep.

Kristin entered c-deck and gasped when she saw the disarray of the science and medical equipment. It looked like someone had put everything into a cup and shook it like a game of Yahtzee. Everything was strewn across the room haphazardly. Personnel were trying aimlessly to upright equipment. Kristin clucked her tongue in frustration. An early morning phone call from Jonathan had alerted her to what had occurred. Despite the fact that the commander had assured her that it had been best she hadn't known, she hadn't stopped scolding herself since she had heard about SeaQuest being commandeered. She had decided to retire early the night before and hadn't even known what was happening. She knew Nathan, Lucas and the rest of the crew were safe, but her mind seemed to assault her with what ifs anyways. She hurried into the med-bay to see Katie lying on a cot. Kristin outwardly assessed her injuries as she approached the woman.

"How are you feeling, Katie?" asked Kristin, patting the woman's arm affectionately. Katie opened her eyes and smiled at Kristin.

"Fine, just a little dizzy," responded Katie softly. "The medic made me lie down as a precaution." Katie indicated the other young woman in the room. Kristin glanced across the room to see a female medic treating other crew with various injuries. The medic returned the glance with a warm smile. Kristin returned the smile.

"Well young lady, you listen to that medic. You may have a concussion." replied Kristin, shining her ophthalmoscope in each of Katie's eyes to check pupil dilation. "How did you hit your head?" Katie shrugged his shoulders.

"I wish I knew. The boat was tossing around so violently, and things were flying at us from every direction." Kristin nodded her understanding. She had been onboard seaQuest during some rough storms and had experienced similar situations. Submarines were much more stable far beneath the water. Above the water was a whole other story.

"SeaQuest is finally resting easy now, Doc." said a familiar voice. Katie and Kristin turned to the doorway to see Miguel enter the room, helping Tim to a nearby bed. Kristin hurried to man's side with concern.

"Oh Tim, what happened?" asked Kristin, assessing his injuries. Tim groaned wearily.

"I was walking upstairs when SeaQuest starting rocking. Bad idea," he chuckled. Kristin managed a smile. Tim's face was bruised and his glasses were broken. He looked more than a little worse for wear. She noticed that he was favouring his right arm carefully.

"Can you get an x-ray for me?" Kristin asked the female medic in the room. The woman shook her head, kindly. She crossed the room and held out her hand in greeting.

"My name is Jenna Brooks, Dr. Westphalen," commented the young woman, not much older than 19 or 20. Kristin shook her hand warmly.

"We're glad to have your help, Jenna." Jenna nodded and proceeded to wheel Tim towards an x-ray room. Kristin glanced around the room once again. Other than Katie and Tim, there were five other people with various injuries. She felt relief that there were not too many crew aboard when the ship started pitching a fit.

"Miguel, do you have any idea how many people were onboard during the incident?" inquired Kristin. Miguel pulled a chair up by Katie, and sat down, feeling a sudden surge of exhaustion. He had just had a grueling conversation with Admiral Noyce and several UEO big wigs, and the task had left him feeling depleted.

"By the time the order was given, about 25 souls were onboard. Most are accounted for, and a few more injuries have been reported. Some have been taken off the boat already and more will be headed this way. Nothing serious I don't think. I believe Krieg got the worst of it," replied the dark haired man, obvious fatigue showing on his face. Katie's blue eyed widened in concern.

"Have you heard anything about him, Miguel?" Miguel ran a hand through his hair and rubbed his eyes.

"As far as I know, he's stable, but he got a good lung full. The pitching of the boat, combined with little oxygen left in his breather gave him a rough ride. He's been transferred to Port Everglades General Hospital." Katie blinked her eyes slowly at the words. As much as Ben annoyed her, a part of her still cared for him very much. Kristin noticed her concern and patted her shoulder compassionately.

"As soon as I have a moment, I will check on his condition, Katie. Don't worry, dear." Katie nodded gratefully. Kristin took a minute to mentally take attendance in her head. She felt a sense of relief knowing the whereabouts of each senior crew member. Suddenly a thought occurred to her, and she felt her heart skip a beat. Lucas. Where was Lucas?


	18. Chapter 18

Nathan left the bridge wearily. He informed the acting commander that he was officially off duty. Not that he remembered ever being on duty. He was supposed to be on shore leave. He shook his head and groaned at the absurdity of the day. Completely unbelievable. He turned his attention to the more important task at hand. Lucas. He needed to find Lucas. No one had seen hide nor hair of the kid since he left c-deck, and that had been over two hours ago. His first thought was to head to Med-bay to check on some of the crew and maybe get some ideas from them on where to look. He just hoped that Lucas hadn't managed to sneak off the boat in all the commotion. What was the kid thinking? How injured was he? Why hadn't he come looking for him? Nathan had more questions than answers.

Nathan strode into Med-bay and was relieved to see Kristin busy checking out Tim and Katie and other patients. It warmed his heart to see her familiar face. He didn't think he would ever let another woman into his heart after Carol, but Kristin had somehow managed to steal his heart. Kristin turned to see him enter the room, and he saw a look of relief wash over her. She rushed to his side with tears shimmering in her eyes.

"Nathan, I'm so glad you're alright. When Jonathan told me, I," she rambled quickly. Nathan held up his hand to forestall her words and briefly embraced her.

Katie, Tim and Miguel stared at them, wide eyed. The obvious chemistry between the captain and the chief medical officer suddenly became very clear to them.

"I'm fine, Kristin," he replied softly into her hair. She momentarily melted into his embrace before pulling away suddenly.

"Lucas?" she asked. Nathan's eyes looked worried, and he shook his head sadly.

"I've searched every place I thought he'd be, but I haven't found him. I'm not gonna lie, Kristin, I'm really worried. I'm not even sure how hurt he is," groaned Nathan rubbing his face, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Kristin rubbed her hand on her pants nervously. "Clemens put that kid through hell. Lucas was badly battered, yet, through it all, he still managed to keep a cool head and tried to help." Nathan felt his temper flare as he reflected on all the events that occurred. "That son of bitch almost killed him," thundered Nathan, emotion catching his voice. Kristin patted his arm compassionately.

"The important thing to remember, Nathan, is he didn't," reminded Kristin, managing a weak smile. She turned to address the young woman medic. "Jenna, I think you have things well in hand here. The captain and I are going to look for a missing boy," said Kristin. The girl looked confused by the information, but nodded with a kind smile.

"I'll help too, Captain," said Miguel, rising to his feet suddenly. Nathan smiled gratefully at the dark eyed man.

"Any ideas at all where he'd be?" beseeched Nathan at the other crew in the room. They all shook their heads solemnly. Nathan sighed and left the room, followed by Kristin and Miguel.

A loud noise caused Lucas to startle and open his eyes, struggling to remember where he was. He glanced around to see that he was still in Captain Bridger's quarters. He rose to his feet to see that the door was closed. He walked to the door and attempted to open it but had no luck. The door was either locked from the outside or jammed shut. An eerie laugh came from behind him causing his skin to break out in goose bumps.

"Finally, we are alone, Lucas," stated a familiar gruff voice. Lucas spun around to see Clemens sitting in Captain Bridger's chair with a satisfied grin on his face. Lucas' mouth dropped open in shock and terror.

"But…how?" was all he was able to sputter before Clemens stood up and walked towards him menacingly. Clemens smiled again wickedly.

"Do you honestly think your Captain could stop me?" scoffed the man, laughing again. "You have single-handedly managed to ruin everything! Everything! All that I have accomplished destroyed by you: some rotten, stupid kid. I've worked for years to gain the creditability I attained, and it's ruined by some arrogant kid?" He strode closer to Lucas' face. Lucas instinctively stepped backwards until his back was against the wall. Lucas felt his heart in his throat. He was frozen in terror. Clemens angrily shook his fist at Lucas. He reached out, grabbing Lucas by his hair and viciously threw him to the floor. Lucas screamed in fear and attempted to crawl away, but Clemens kicked him harshly in the side. Lucas found himself being pinned to the floor on his stomach with his head pulled up sideways to look at Clemens. Clemens' face was full of venomous hatred and rage. Lucas blinked back tears of horror.

"Please, don't hurt me," he begged. Clemens smirked.

"Oh, this is gonna hurt real bad, Lucas," threatened Clemens, leaning in close to Lucas' ear with an evil snicker. He flipped the boy over and straddled him roughly. He put his hands around Lucas' neck and slowly started to squeeze. Lucas' eyes widened in alarm as he clawed at his neck desperately and screamed.

Lucas' eyes flew open in horror. He reached for his neck involuntarily and screamed. His body was soaked in perspiration, and he sat trembling too frightened to move. A dream? Had it just been a dream? His eyes scanned the room in terror. He wasn't even sure what reality was anymore. Had Clemens really been captured or was he still loose on the boat? Had Captain Bridger really come in the room before or had he dreamed that too? He needed to find a better place to hide in case Clemens came back. Lucas wiped the sweat off his brow as he wrapped his arms around his knees despondently, shivering and trembling in shock.

Nathan, Kristin and Miguel met up with Jonathan in the hallway outside of C-deck. Jonathan gave a brief update on SeaQuest and the happenings with Clemens.

"For now, Admiral Noyce has docked SeaQuest until further notice, Captain, pending an inquiry. He sends his regards and is currently en route to Port Everglades as we speak. Dr. Westphalen has clearance to provide medical care to any of the crew that requires it. Anything too serious to handle here can be sent to Port Everglades Hospital," finished Jonathan. Nathan nodded silently. His mind was still on locating Lucas. The rest of legal mumbo jumbo didn't matter to him at the moment. Everything else could wait.

"Captain?" question Jonathan, noticing the captain's distraction.

"Jonathan, Lucas is missing. No one has seen him in hours," replied Miguel. Jonathan looked shocked at the three faces in front of him. He had had no idea that Lucas was missing.

"I thought," began Jonathan, looking at Miguel for answers.

"He took off," explained Miguel quickly.

"Look, he's missing and all I care about right now is finding the kid. Let's split up and search deck by deck. It's not an order, gentlemen, but…" interjected Nathan, hesitating when Miguel held up his hand.

"Captain, we all care about Lucas. I'll be honest, I wasn't thrilled about being assigned to a science boat, no offense Doc," started Miguel transparently.

"None taken, Miguel," replied Kristin, smirking slightly at the confession.

"But since coming onboard and serving under you, sir, and getting to know Lucas and the rest of the crew, well, this boat has started to feel like home. Like family. And, uh, Lucas is a huge part of that," finished Miguel, completely serious. Nathan nodded in understanding. Lucas was a big part of why he was so happy on SeaQuest as well. He loved his job, but he loved Lucas more. Lucas helped heal his heart every day. He had so many unanswered questions about his own son, but Lucas was a constant source of joy, salve on his heart.

"Grab your PAL and we'll search deck by deck. I'll start on A-deck, Kristin B-deck, Miguel C-deck and Jonathan D-deck. Message when you have finished, and we'll go lower. Check everywhere and I mean _everywhere._ Lucas isn't thinking like himself right now. He's scared," replied Nathan. Everyone nodded and took off in separate directions.

Nathan took off to A-deck quickly, groaning as his knees complained loudly. He was really feeling his age today. He proceeded to thoroughly check every room: the command room, Wardroom, his Ready room and each conference room. He looked in every broom closet and bathroom. He lifted floor grates and opened vents. He checked the now operational Mag-lev and the bridge. Nothing. No sign of Lucas anywhere. He checked Lucas' room twice, looking for any signs at all that the kid had returned to his room. He cursed in frustration as he sat on Lucas' bed. Where could the kid have gone? No one on the bridge had seen any kids onboard. No one off the boat had seen any kids other than Julianna and Nick. It was like the kid had disappeared into thin air. Nathan sighed and decided to return to his own quarters before continuing his search elsewhere on the boat. He knew he'd looked in his room before so he didn't hold out much hope to find the kid there. Nathan slowly walked down the corridor from Lucas' room to his. He thought about how often he heard music blaring from Lucas' room at night when he was trying to sleep. As much as that annoyed him, he wished he could hear it now. He'd gladly welcome some loud rock and roll about now.

Nathan entered his quarters and slammed the door. His heart was full. His emotions were all over the place. Anger, worry, sadness and more engulfed him as he looked around his quarters.

Nothing in his room gave him any indication that Lucas had been there. He strode across his floor and sat on his bed wearily, leaning his head against the wall.

"Come on, Lucas, where are you?" he mumbled under his breath.

"Captain?" whimpered a small voice. Nathan sat up in alarm. He wasn't sure if his ears were playing tricks on him. The voice was so soft; it could have been his imagination.

"Lucas?" he replied. His eyes began scanning the room frantically in desperation. He couldn't be positive that he had really heard Lucas' voice. It could have just been wishful thinking.

"Captain," whispered the voice again. This time Nathan heard the words clearly. He searched his room but still couldn't see anything.

"Lucas? Help me out, kid. Where are you?" he replied, his voice thick with emotion. A sudden flurry of movement alerted him to the ventilation system in his room. Nathan hurried to the vent and pulled off the cover roughly. His eyes squinted in the darkness of the vent and could just vaguely make out a form. He reached in the vent as far as he could and felt a warm leg. Just as he touched the boy, the frightened teen jerked away, crawling further into the vent.

"Lucas, it's me Captain Bridger," he said softly. All he got was a whimper for an answer. Nathan crawled into the vent towards Lucas. The boy kicked at him frantically.

"Leave me alone," the boy whimpered, obviously in terror.

"Lucas, hey, it's me; it's okay. You're safe. No one is gonna hurt you. Clemens is gone. You're safe, kiddo. It's just me, okay?" assured Nathan softly.

"He was here, Captain," responded the quivering voice.

"Who was here?"

"C-Clemens." Nathan narrowed his eyes in confusion. Clemens had been taken into custody. He couldn't have been here, at least not recently.

"Lucas, listen to me, Clemens is gone. He wasn't here, and he won't be here anymore. It's just you and me. You're safe. You can come out now," Nathan waited in the darkness seeing if the teen would move towards him or back further away. It was cramped, dirty and cold in the vent. Nathan wondered how long the kid had been hidden here. No wonder he couldn't find him. He never thought to check the vents in every room.

"I'm scared," replied Lucas, his voice still quivering.

"I know you are, son. It's okay. I promise you, everything is going to be okay now," stated Nathan, with deep conviction in his voice. If it was within his power, nothing would ever hurt Lucas again. "Come on out." The boy nodded in the darkness. A gesture Nathan could just barely make out. Nathan reversed himself, backing out of the vent. He watched as the boy crawled towards him. Nathan could see that he was visibly trembling. Nathan watched on baited breath as the boy inched towards him. As the kid approached the light, Nathan could see his bruised, tear-streaked face, with his bottom lip quivering. Once the kid managed to crawl far enough out, Nathan grabbed him, embracing him in a fierce hug. Nathan closed his eyes in relief. Lucas collapsed into him, trembling all over.

"It's gonna be okay, Lucas. Clemens can't hurt you anymore," whispered Nathan into the teen's hair. Nathan felt Lucas's heart racing against his chest. He gently stoked the boy's head to help calm him down. "You're safe, kiddo. I've got ya."

Nathan pulled his PAL out of his pocket carefully and tapped it.

"This is Bridger; I found him. I've got Lucas."


	19. Chapter 19

Part 19

 _ **World Power Hydroelectric Plant—Control centre**_

"Dr. Wolenczak, you have a call," said a petite brunette named Jordan.

Dr. Lawrence Wolenczak groaned inwardly. He didn't have time for such things at the present. He was much too busy to take calls. Besides, that was what secretaries were for.

"For heaven's sakes, Jordan, not now," he snapped in annoyance.

"Sir, it's Captain Bridger of SeaQuest."

Lawrence hesitated for a moment. He had heard about a commotion at Port Everglades involving SeaQuest. A few times he had stopped to wonder if his son was safe but had dismissed it as foolishness. The UEO was perfectly capable of handling themselves without him needing to waste his energy being concerned. He sighed irritably and opened his Video-link.

"Is my son alright, Captain?" queried Lawrence, eyeing Bridger sternly. Nathan could tell that the man was aggravated greatly by the interruption.

"Physically," began Nathan.

"Very good; glad to hear it. Tell him I'll call him next month," interrupted the man, raising his hand to end the link.

"However, Dr. Wolenczak, Lucas isn't doing well emotionally. He's been having night terrors, and he could use the support of his parents," insisted Nathan, attempting to get in as much information as he could before the link ended.

"He's a tough kid, Captain Bridger, and I'm sure you can handle things just fine. Like I told you before, if he misbehaves…"

"Damn it, Doctor, listen to me," reprimanded Nathan, his temper rising. Lawrence raised his eyebrows at the outburst, obviously not amused.

"No, Bridger, you listen to me! I don't have time for this. I sent Lucas to SeaQuest for a reason. Handle it." With those final words, the Video-link was dropped.

 _ **SeaQuest Med-bay**_

Nathan pounded his fist on the desk in Kristin's office. He stared at Kristin in disbelief.

"That arrogant son of…"

"Calm down, Nathan. Getting upset isn't going to change anything," Kristin wisely replied. Nathan sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily.

"His son has been through hell and back, and he's too busy to even find out what happened? Or see if he's alright? Damn it! That man is such an arrogant pig," retorted Nathan, his temper getting the best of him.

"That poor child," acknowledged Kristin softly. Kristin looked at Nathan closely and saw the fatigue on the man's face. He was beyond exhausted. She had already ordered Miguel and Jonathan to get some sleep, and Katie and Tim were finally resting as well. Kristin now just needed to convince Nathan to get some much needed rest. Plus, she wanted to check on Ben's condition too.

"Nathan, you really ought to get some sleep. Lucas is resting easy now and will most likely sleep for several hours. I haven't done many tests yet, but his injuries don't appear to be too extensive," Nathan groaned at her in annoyance.

"I'm fine, Kristin," insisted Nathan, stifling a yawn.

"No, you're not. You're clearly exhausted. What good are you going to be to Lucas if you pass out on him from exhaustion? Come now, doctor's orders. Now, shoo!" Kristin ordered firmly, attempting to pull him to his feet. Nathan rose to his feet and stretched. It was useless to argue with the woman.

"Alright, alright, I'm going," he stated and began to leave her office. "Kristin, when he wakes up, please message me right away," implored Nathan. Kristin nodded and smiled. She had every intention of letting Lucas sleep for as long as he would, but she also knew his sleep might be disturbed by night terrors. She was sure she would need Nathan's help soon enough. She would need a rested, patient man to help, not an exhausted one.

"I will, don't you worry. I have a whole battery of tests to run when he awakens, and I'm sure I'm going to need a little help getting him to cooperate." Nathan nodded in understanding and reluctantly left the room. He knew that Lucas was in good hands, but he was genuinely worried about the kid.

Several hours later, Nathan awoke with a start to hear his vid-link ringing loudly. He blinked his eyes as he attempted to force himself to wake up. He glanced at his watch, plopping his head back onto his pillow with a groan. 11:00. Was it AM or PM? He couldn't even remember what day it was let alone what time of day it was. He tapped the link, still half asleep. Kristin's worried face appeared.

"Kristin? Is everything ok?"

"Sorry to wake you, Nathan, but would you mind coming to Med-bay right now?" she inquired softly. Nathan sat up, flicking on the light over his bed.

"Lucas?"

"Please, Nathan," implored Kristin. Nathan nodded, swallowing any other questions he had.

"On my way," he replied and ended the link. Nathan quickly pulled on a fresh shirt and pants and rushed from the room. The look on Kristin's face troubled him immensely.

Nathan arrived at Med-bay to see Lucas being restrained by a security guard from Port Everglades. The guard was subduing the boy by holding his arms behind his back. It appeared to Nathan like it was being done quite harshly. Lucas was struggling to free himself, and Nathan felt his temper rise at the sight. Kristin looked alarmed and slightly disheveled.

"What the hell is going on?" demanded Nathan crossly.

"I'm trying to convince this man that Lucas is upset and did not mean to strike out at me," explained Kristin. Nathan strode over and stood in front of the guard.

"Let him go, NOW!" The guard remained fixed, restraining the teenager firmly. Lucas stared back defiantly.

"He attacked the doctor," explained the man. Nathan groaned and put his hands on his hips impatiently.

"I am Captain Bridger, and this is my boat. I said let the boy go," demanded Nathan again. The guard nodded hesitantly and released Lucas' arms. Lucas yanked his arms away and stood still, dropping his chin to his chest.

"Behave yourself, kid," warned the man gruffly and left the room. Nathan turned to look at Kristin, raising his brows in concern, and she waved her hand in annoyance.

"I'm fine, Nathan. Lucas had another nightmare," explained Kristin, walking across the room and looking at Lucas. She reached out and patted him on the arm compassionately. Lucas lifted his chin to look at her but remained silent. "I'll leave you two alone to talk," she replied and left the room without another word.

"You okay?" asked Nathan. Lucas nodded as he stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. "You're safe, Lucas. Clemens is in custody," assured Nathan. He glanced around to see the room vacant except for two sleeping patients. "How about we go sit in Kristin's office?" Lucas nodded and walked slowly towards the office. Nathan followed suit, closing the door and sitting on one of comfortable, padded chairs with a sigh. His head was still a little foggy from sleep, and he felt like he could use a strong cup of black coffee. Lucas leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and looking at his shoes.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?" Lucas shook his head, his bottom lip quivering ever so slightly. His emotions were raw.

"I'm sorry, Captain," mumbled Lucas solemnly. "It's all my fault. Clemens being on seaQuest is my fault. I told him where I was. I stole the stinger and arranged to meet with Nick," rambled the teenager. Nathan held up his hand.

"Okay, Okay, calm down, Lucas. We'll deal with all that later. For now, all I care about is how you're doing. That's all that matters to me right now, alright?" stated Nathan, reaching out to pat the teen on the knee. Lucas looked at him in disbelief, his eyes wide.

"Those dreams are haunting you, kiddo, and it doesn't seem like they're getting any better, are they? Talk to me," urged Nathan again. Lucas continued staring at the floor and shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't get why you care. You should be pissed! I screwed up, Captain. Everything is a mess and it's all my fault! The World Bank, foreign affairs, SeaQuest," listed Lucas, his voice quivering. Nathan shook his head, sighing loudly.

"Lucas, none of that matters. You're what matters," insisted Nathan. "Listen, look at me," said Nathan. Lucas' gaze remained on his shoes. Nathan stood up grabbing Lucas' chin firmly, pulling it up so their eyes met. Nathan winced inwardly when he saw the bruises and petechiae on his cheeks. The hemorrhaging from Node Three hadn't even healed, and he could see new ones had formed in the kid's eyes. Nathan's heart ached for the young man. "Lucas, right now, all that matters to me is you, got it?" Lucas pulled his chin away with a groan and turned his back to Nathan.

"You don't understand," insisted Lucas. He kicked at the carpet and rubbed his hands on his pants nervously. "I should have told you right from the beginning, and none of this would have happened. Don't you see? Don't you get it? Clemens could have killed Julianna and you. He could have commandeered SeaQuest. He could," Lucas choked, trying to maintain his emotions. Nathan put a hand on his shoulder firmly, spinning him around and staring intensely in his eyes.

"Yes, Clemens could have done all that, but he didn't. He's in custody. Julianna is safe. I'm right here, and SeaQuest never left the dock. Lucas, listen to me,"

"NO!" shouted Lucas, his eyes flashing in anger. "You should be yelling at me. Stop being nice, damn it! I don't deserve it." Lucas' hands were balled up into fists and tears rolled down his cheeks. Nathan stared into the determined kid's face. He pulled the angry boy into his arms, embracing him tightly.

"Too damned bad, Lucas, because nice is what you get," Nathan replied, holding the kid close. Lucas stiffened at first and then relaxed into his chest.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," sobbed Lucas, his emotional dam bursting. His whole body convulsed as he sobbed into Nathans chest. Nathan held him firmly and stoked the back of his hair.

"It's okay, Kiddo, let it out," encouraged Nathan softly.

Lucas felt the tight embrace of Captain Bridger, and such a mix of emotions washed over him. The feelings of despair, anxiety, pain, fear and so many others overwhelmed him causing deep gut-wrenching sobs to radiate from him. Holding them back for so long had physically hurt his stomach and burned his throat. All the events of the day flooded his mind at once, and it was all he could do to keep himself steady. Gradually, his sobs dissipated, as his heart rate slowed. He had been terrified beyond words since he left the Node. No matter how hard he tried to cope with his emotions, he failed miserably. He simply could not handle it on his own. Every time he closed his eyes and tried to sleep, he was violently assaulted by his dreams. He couldn't escape from those dreams.

Lucas pushed himself away, wiping his eyes and nose with the back of his sleeve. Tears still rolled down his checks as he worked to gain control of his emotions. Nathan reached for a tissue box and handed it to him. Lucas gratefully took the box and grabbed a handful of tissues. "T-thanks," he hiccupped quietly. Nathan smiled at him and sat down. Lucas sat on the chair opposite Nathan and stared at his hands, trying to catch his breath after each hiccup.

"You ok?" inquired Nathan. Lucas nodded feeling somewhat embarrassed that he had essentially wailed like a baby on the captains' shoulder. A sudden feeling of exhaustion flooded over him as he leaned back in the chair.

"So, what do you see in those dreams?" Lucas blew his nose and sighed. He turned and looked at Captain Bridger with a pained look.

"You're not gonna give up are you?" Nathan smirked and shook his head.

"Nope."

Lucas leaned forward and put his head into his hands, running his hands through his hair. The dreams he had been having had been so real that sometimes he couldn't tell them from reality.

"Before I left for the Node, my dad called me," began Lucas, lifting his head and looking at Captain Bridger. "He called to tell me about his latest work related trip. I kinda lost it on him. I'm so tired of him pushing me aside. I didn't mean to lose my temper, but he started yelling at me, telling me I'm an ungrateful, spoiled brat. Adults are always putting their needs in terms that make my needs seem unimportant. I just blew up at him."

"You're not an ungrateful, spoiled brat, Lucas," stated Nathan. Lucas chuckled and leaned back in his chair.

"My father's pursuit of an empire that serves mankind is more important than my needs. Mine don't exist at all."

"Well, that explains your behaviour on the bridge the day before you left for the Node," commented Nathan, putting two and two together. Lucas nodded and licked his lips nervously.

"Yah, I'm sorry. Captain," replied Lucas. Nathan waved his hand in dismissal.

"You stood up for yourself, Lucas, and you got yourself a salary." Lucas smirked slightly as he swiped at some remaining tears on his face.

"I thought you'd be mad about what happened at the Node. I didn't want you to know about it. I thought you'd kick me off SeaQuest. Hiding it from you was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I keep having these dreams about Clemens strangling me. Sometimes, my dad was in the dream too. Sometimes you were. You and my dad both seemed happy that Clemens was…that he was," replied Lucas, stumbling over the words as a fresh batch of tears washed over his cheeks. Nathan reached out and patted Lucas' knee affectionately.

"Go on,"

"I was so pissed off at you when we were on the Island. Clemens was strangling me in my dream, and you did nothing to stop it. My dad said I was a disappointment. You…you," choked Lucas, feeling a rush of anger again. Nathan patted his knee sympathetically.

"That certainly helps me understand your behaviour on the island as well," replied Nathan gently. Lucas looked into Nathans eyes bravely.

"Kiddo, those are just dreams. They aren't real. It's your minds way of trying to make sense of what happened to you."

"Sometimes I can't figure out if I'm awake or if I'm dreaming, Captain. I think I'm losing my mind," mumbled Lucas, running his hand through his hair.

"I'm not gonna to lie to you, Lucas; it may get worse before it gets better. You have gone through some pretty traumatic experiences. This might make you angry, but Kristin wanted me to take you to see her therapist friend," began Nathan. Lucas sat up straight, his eyes flashing in anger. Nathan held up his hand quickly. "Relax; I don't even know what day it is right now, so I'm sure you've missed the appointment anyways. The point is talking with someone is a wise decision." Lucas signed loudly.

"How much trouble am I in, Captain?" whispered Lucas bravely. He looked intently in Nathans eyes.

Nathan looked into the teenager's blue eyes and smiled warmly.

"Kiddo, several weeks from now, you and I are going to have a chat about a few little broken rules and we're gonna come to an understanding. For now, all I want you to concern yourself with is getting some rest and recovering from all this. Don't borrow trouble. Leave the rest of it to the adults, okay?" Lucas nodded, blinking back more tears. "You're going to be okay, Lucas. I'm here, and I'm not going to let anything else happen to you!" stated Nathan with conviction.

Nathan reached out and patted Lucas on his cheek affectionately. "Your may feel like your dad's needs come before yours and you may be correct on that one. But your needs are important to me, Lucas. I'm here for you, kiddo. Do you hear me? I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Got that?" Lucas licked his lips and nodded.

"Good. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Let's find Kristin and get something to eat. How does that sound?" Lucas stood up and smiled at him.

"It's sounds great to me." Nathan patted the boy on the back and the two of them left the room together to find Kristin.


	20. Chapter 20--Final

_**Several Months later**_

 _ **Aboard SeaQuest**_

Nathan stretched as he walked down the corridor. He had just left the bridge after going off duty. It had been a long, uneventful day, and he was hoping to entice Kristin into having a nice quiet evening together. He headed towards c-deck and Med-bay, his thoughts on a hot cup of coffee and something tantalizing to eat. Just as he rounded the corner near the mag-lev, he heard an irate voice speaking to someone.

"Must you run everywhere?" retorted the voice Nathan recognized as Jonathan. The man's tone was crisp and exasperated. Nathan looked to see papers strewn all across the floor and a sheepish teenager scurrying to gather them. Jonathan's hands were on his hips as he stood scolding the boy. Lucas looked up as Nathan approached, and he smiled a guilty grin. Nathan patted Jonathan on the back supportively.

"Nice to see things are back to normal, Commander," Nathan chuckled. Jonathan glanced at Nathan, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. Lucas stood up and handed the crumpled mess of papers to Jonathan.

"Uh, I'm sorry Commander," said the smirking teenager. Jonathan reached out and took the papers. A small smirk crept across his face as he nodded at Lucas. His eyes glanced at Nathan as he turned and walked away.

Nathan looked at Lucas as he stood there awkwardly staring after Jonathan. It had been a rough few months for the boy. Night terrors had plagued him for a long time. Lucas had stayed with him on the island while they were on shore leave. The boy had stubbornly fought against talking to the therapist, but over time Kristin's friend, Eric Petersen, had worked wonders with the kid. Gradually the teenager perked up and his mischievous smile returned. Nathan had begun to relax, knowing that the horrible ordeal with Clemens was in the past. The court case had been an open and shut case. The lawyers for the UEO were meticulous and vicious. None of teenagers had even needed to testify. Clemens was sentenced quickly and efficiently. The man would not see the light of day until he was a very elderly man.

"I'm sorry, Captain," said Lucas, bringing Nathan out of his thoughts. Nathan smiled and patted the boy on the back.

"You run down these corridors daily, Lucas. Why do you insist on running into Commander Ford?" replied Nathan, trying to stifle a laugh. Lucas shrugged and a large grin broke out across his face. Nathan's heart warmed at the sight. That mischievous Lucas smile that he adored had returned. The smile reached the boys eyes, and the sight was one Nathan had longed to see for a long time. "Where were you going in such a rush?" asked Nathan, as the two of them fell into step towards the mag-lev.

"Ben, Miguel, Tim and I are having a game of poker after supper. I wanted to get to mess hall before them," began Lucas with a glint in his eye.

"Dare I ask why?" inquired Nathan, raising an eye brow. Lucas's face reddened at the question.

"Uh, maybe you shouldn't, Captain," mumbled Lucas, with a small smirk on his face. Nathan laughed and shook his head. The two of them entered the Mag-lev and sat down. Nathan rested his head on the back of the wall. He watched as Lucas chatted with others on the lift. The teen's relaxed, carefree manner had returned. He seemed more at home with the crew than he ever had been before. He seemed less moody and happier than he'd been in a long time. Nathan felt immense relief to see the light-heartedness back in the teenager. That boyish mischievousness that everyone loved about Lucas had returned.

The mag-lev stopped and Lucas and Nathan stepped off, both heading towards c-deck. Nathan walked quietly as he enjoyed listening to the teenager rattling off all the events of his day.

"Lucas, when do you see Eric again?" asked Nathan as they entered c-deck.

"Actually, Captain, I invited him on SeaQuest. He hasn't met Darwin or any of the crew. I talk about everybody all the time, and he said he'd like to meet everyone. The guy hasn't even been snorkeling before, and he lives in Florida," stated Lucas, wrinkling his nose in disbelief at his own words. "That's okay isn't it, Captain?" asked Lucas, suddenly looking worried. Nathan laughed. Eric had been working with Lucas about asking permission before doing things. The teenager had grown up so quickly and had lived such an odd life as a child, that some of the basic things kids learn at an early age had escaped Lucas. Asking permission and allowing adults to be adults were two things Lucas was learning. Nathan felt like he owed a huge debt to Eric. The guy was amazing. Plus Lucas had grown to adore the man, and the guy loved baseball and loud rock and roll music, which made him even more popular.

"Of course, Lucas." Suddenly the kid stopped walking, and a grim look fell across his face. Nathan furrowed his brow and glanced at Lucas questionably.

"What's wrong?" asked Nathan. Lucas licked his lips slowly and rubbed his hands on his pant legs nervously. Nathan began to feel worried, wondering what the matter was.

"I was supposed to ask you something, Captain," replied Lucas in a low voice.

"About?" prompted Nathan. Lucas stopped walking and looked at the floor with a troubled look on his face. Nathan waited as he watched the boy fight a small inner battle.

"Eric and I were talking about stuff that was still bugging me. He, uh, suggested that instead of me worrying about it that I, uh, should just talk to you."

"Sounds like a wise plan to me," stated Nathan kindly. Lucas bit his lip nervously and clenched his fists together. Nathan tilted his head and tried to think what was bothering the boy so much that he would look so anxious.

"Come with me, let's go talk in the VIP lounge," suggested Nathan, walking toward a door and entering the code to the room.

There were two VIP lounges on the c-deck on SeaQuest. The lounges were used when guests or extra scientists were onboard, but when none were on board, crew members tended to use the rooms for quiet spots to read or to have private conversations with other crew members. This time of day, most of the crew were heading to the mess hall on B-deck. C-deck was quiet. Nathan sat down in a lazy boy and leaned back with a contented groan. It felt nice to put his feet up and relax. Lucas sat nervously in front of him on a card table chair.

"Okay, Lucas, I'm all ears," replied Nathan. Lucas chewed on his finger, anxiety apparent on his face. Nathan sat forward and patted the kid's knee supportively. "Spill it, kiddo."

"Uh, remember the day after Clemens was in custody? I was not really myself, but I remember that you said you wanted to have a chat, uh, about rules when it was all over so we could come to an understanding," muttered Lucas, almost so softly that Nathan couldn't hear the words. Nathan felt relief wash over him as the words registered in his brain. He bit his lip to prevent himself from breaking out in laughter. He had forgotten and put most of the events from those days out of his mind. He hadn't given much thought to any of the things Lucas had done during that time. It had been more than obvious that everything Lucas had done was because of the trauma he had sustained. However, for whatever reason, Lucas had held onto some of it.

"I remember," said Nathan, his voice calm and even. Lucas swallowed sheepishly and looked at his hands.

"Eric suggested that I bring it up and get it over with. Uh, you know about stealing the Stinger and uh, your security badge especially," replied Lucas. Nathan looked deeply into the teenager's eyes and smiled, patting his knee again.

"That has been on your mind all this time?" Lucas nodded silently. His face looked genuinely concerned. Nathan looked at Lucas with a warm smile.

"Relax, Lucas, you're not in trouble. I only said that before because you were so intent on blaming yourself for everything that happened with Node three and Clemens. It seemed to ease your mind at the time that I was going to hold you accountable. Yes, I was upset with you when you stole the Stinger, but I understand now why you did it. Yes, it was wrong to take my security badge and sneak onto SeaQuest without permission, but I think you know that." Lucas nodded slowly as he listened.

"Anything else bothering you?" inquired Nathan, wanting to make sure there weren't any other loose ends to tie. Lucas shook his head as small smile returning to his face.

"Honestly, kid, if you don't learn to relax, you're going to have an ulcer by the time your sixteen," commented Nathan, a large smile spreading across his face.

"So that's it? No lecture? No consequences?" asked Lucas in disbelief.

"That's it, kiddo." Lucas heaved a large sigh of relief and the look of doom left his face. Nathan laughed and shook his head.

"Lucas, you're going to give me a complex. Am I really that scary to talk with?" asked Nathan, looking uncertainly at the teenager. Lucas quickly shook his head.

"No, no, it isn't that, Captain,"

"Well, what then?" Lucas shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't really explain it. It was just a deep feeling he had when he did something wrong. The feeling sat deep in his conscience, and he couldn't let it go until everything was out in the open. Nathan patted the teenager on the cheek lovingly.

"Captain," asked Lucas as he stood up to stretch. "When we were on the bridge, you said something and no matter how much I try to figure it out, I can't. Will you tell me what you meant?" Nathan squinted his eye, trying to remember what he'd said.

"Help an ole guy out and remind me what I said?"

"You said it was a guitar string moment. Why did you mean by that?" Nathan rose to his feet and walked across the room to the bookshelf. He turned to look at Lucas' young face.

"Well, when you tune a guitar, you tighten the strings to make the right sound. If you tighten them too tightly, they break. You have to know how to tighten them just so, right? On the bridge, Clemens was bringing us to our breaking point. We needed to use that tension to strengthen us, not break us." A smile broke out across Lucas' face as he took in the words. Nathan strode across the room and clapped the boy on the shoulder firmly.

"Anything else on your mind?"

"No, I'm good."

"Lucas, I'm always gonna be here for you to talk to, okay? I will always make the time for you. Got it?" Lucas nodded, still smiling.

"Good, now scoot! Go play your prank on those guys before I change my mind and want to know what you're up to." Lucas laughed and ran from the room. Nathan stood shaking his head. Yes, things were slowly getting back to normal. He left the lounge with a smile and headed to med-bay to find Kristin. He was still hoping to steal her attention away for the evening. He envisioned a nice quiet evening in his quarters.

The end :) (until the next adventure)

 _ **A/N—Hope you enjoyed reading "Aftershock". Thanks to all of you who have reviewed my work. It made it enjoyable to check my account and read your comments. I have a few more ideas for stories. I really do enjoy the relationship between Captain Bridger and Lucas. God bless :)**_


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